Echoes and Memories
by Dust motes in sunlight
Summary: When Jenna literally runs into the path of the X-Men she never thought she would stay with them long. But when they are threatened will she stay and defend the people that have become her family and will she let in the one mutant that terrifies her?
1. Chapter 1

I ran through the streets of Westchester. The darkness was smothering and my heart beat frantically as fear pounded through my body.

A bullet whizzed past my head and smashed into the wall beside me, sending shards of brick everywhere.

Forcing myself to keep going I turned down another street and kept running. The pounding of the feet of those that were hunting me echoed the frantic thump of my heart.

Making a split second decision I turned down into an alleyway. Skidding to a stop I stared as a small glowing spot of light at the end of the alley grew. It was the end of a cigar.

"Looks like you need some help kid." A deep gravely voice said from the darkness.

"I'm not a kid." I scoffed pushing away my fear.

The figure stepped out of the shadows and I froze. It was a man. He had scruffy facial hair which melded with his dark brown hair on each side of his face. He was wearing a leather suit and the hand that was hanging down at his side had three long blades which seemed to be growing from between his knuckles.

My gaze flashed back up to his face just as a gun went off behind me. The bullet ripped through my back, through my chest and hit the stranger in the chest. His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the wet ground.

I pressed my hand to my wound waiting as the blood flow slowed to a stop and the pain receded.

Turning slowly I stared at the mercenary who had shot me. He was dressed completely in black and was holding a machine gun. I smiled.

"Give it your best shot."

The merc raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The night was lit up by the flash of the gun. But anyone who was watching would have seen the glint of metal bullets frozen in the air in front of me.

When the gun's clip had finally run out the hunter lowered his gun.

"You missed." I said raising an eyebrow.

The mass of bullets hanging in mid-air suddenly dropped, ringing out as they hit the asphalt.

The mercenary panicked. Fumbling, he searched his pocket for another clip only to feel his gun disintegrating in his hand. He looked up to see it re-materialising in my hands.

"Leave. Before you end up dead." I snapped. The mercenary stilled for a moment before scurrying away like a scarred rabbit.

Sighing I let the bullets and gun turn to dust before I turned to study the man behind me. Before I had decided whether to heal him or not, his body twitched. As he started to move some more I turned to leave. My exit was blocked by another man. He was wearing a similar suit to the man who was now standing up behind me as well as a red visor over his eyes.

"We mean you no harm." He said putting up his hands to show he was not armed.

"Speak for yourself One-Eye. She got me shot." The deep voice behind me became dark.

"What do you want then?" I asked, moving so that my back was to a wall and the two men were on either side of me.

"We've come to offer you a safe place to stay. A place where we can help you understand the potential of your powers and how to control them effectively."

I smiled. "You have no idea what I am, do you?" I asked them. When they looked at each other confused I sighed, "I'm not coming with you. If I do you will be as much of a target as I am now. I will not do that to anyone."

"We can handle whoever's followin' you darlin'." The darker of the two said.

"Says the man who was shot a minute ago," I smirked before turning to the other man. "Leave now. I can draw them away but if they realise that you are both mutants I don't know if I'm strong enough to hold them off."

"Look kid. Just come with us and you'll be safe." The cigar smoker said running short on patience.

I shook my head already hearing the mercenaries' footsteps as they tracked me. Swearing, I used my powers to push both men back into the shadows just as the mercs rounded the corner and filled the mouth of the alley, cutting off any means of escape.

"You really shouldn't have run, girl." One of the mercs growled as the group raised their guns as one. I squared my shoulders. There were too many and they knew my weakness. Half of the group were holding tasers.

I took a breath as the enemy pulled their triggers.

I was able to stop the first wave of bullets, but the tasers got through with the second wave. I fell to my knees as wave after wave of burning electricity ran through my body.

The next moment I lost control of my powers and fell unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

Flashes of echoes ran through my mind pulling me from the dark oblivion of unconsciousness.

I slowly opened my eyes, sat up, and looked around me.

I was in a large, bright room. The floors were made out of large slabs of bluish metal. The walls were bare and hospital like. Stainless steel medical equipment was everywhere and I could tell it was high tech.

Pushing away the quilted blanket, which was over me, I took a breath and stepped onto the floor, hopping off of the examination table I was on.

After the first wave of echoes had hit me I was able to walk towards the exit only slightly dizzy.

The door swished open for me and I continued down a large open hallway. Echoes of who had walked this hall, and those that had built it, flooded my mind. But I had perfected the ability to push the echoes back into the person or object they had come from leaving me with only the fuzzy memory of them, which were soon forgotten.

One echo stopped me short. Turning to my right I pressed a hidden panel in the wall. A secret door slid open into a tiny, round room which I knew was an elevator as soon as I stepped inside. The door closed behind me. In the next second it had opened to a large area which looked like an entry to a house. The walls were done in dark wood panelling and the floors in contrasting brown wood with soft Persian rugs in the middle of the floor. Large windows let in warm sunshine and beautifully crafted furniture was placed strategically against the walls.

The echoes in this place were stronger than they had been anywhere else so far. There were also so many more that by the time I had taken only two steps I was already dizzy and had to force many echoes away.

It was a school I realised. Just then a bell rang and the sound of footsteps reverberated through the entrance hall where I was standing. School was out.

Pushing myself against a pillar I was able to avoid the mass of students. Some gave me funny looks, others ignored me completely. Every once in a while a few echoes would touch my mind as students accidentally bumped me or their bags touched me. I didn't notice a girl standing in front of me until she cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, are you lost?" She asked.

I studied her for a moment. She had dark brown hair with a white streak through the front of it and brown eyes. She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans but also had on black silk gloves, which disappeared under her t-shirt sleeves, and a purple scarf around her neck.

"No." I answered. "Just a little bit confused as to how I got here." I smiled noticing as I did that we were attracting the attention of a small crowd of people.

"Hey, what's going on here?" A large, well-muscled man asked as he shouldered his way through the crowd of teenagers and children. I recognised him as the dark short-tempered man from the alley. Now, I knew his name was Logan. Following behind him was a bald man in a wheel-chair.

"You don't need to fear us." A voice said in my head. I looked at the man in the wheel-chair and realised he was the one who was speaking. _So here was a telepath. And a strong one at that._ I thought to myself as I built up some of my mental walls.

"We mean you no harm." The man in the wheel-chair said, out loud this time; an English accent apparent in his voice.

"Where am I?" I asked making sure to keep an eye on the man from the alleyway knowing he was my closest threat.

"Xavier's School for the Gifted," the man, who I knew was Professor Charles Xavier, said. I had managed to sort through the information I had taken from the memory echoes I had felt. I now knew everyone in this school was a mutant and each one of their powers as well as their weaknesses. I saw Professor Xavier stiffen and Logan reach for me.

"Logan, don't."

But it was too late for Xavier to stop him. As his hand touched my bare arm pain exploded in my skull as the echoes of his memories slammed into my mind. Flashes of a large room bathed in the glow of a fire, a dark forest and a teenage boy called Victor, the same boy as he grew into a man, war after war, pain but never death. Unable to take anymore I reached out and pressed my fingertips to Logan's forehead channelling his memories back to him. But as I did more flashes took their place.

Six men in military gear, a woman with beautiful blue eyes, more blood, fiery pain, a man with flashing red eyes and a betrayal, a fight and then the woman was back. Suddenly there were three sharp echoes of pain and then waking up to nothing.

With a gasp, I pulled my touch away from his skin and my vision snapped back to the room and the children around me. Logan was on his knees in front of me, his head bowed and his shoulders heaving in exertion.

"I-I'm sorry," I said as I realised what I had done.

I felt something warm trickle from my nose. Touching my top lip I pulled my fingers away from my face to see blood. There was a growling yell from Logan and I watched as he sprang to his feet and slammed me back against the pillar behind me, one hand at my throat. The other in a fist near my face as long metal claws slid slowly from between his knuckles.

"Logan, that's enough," Xavier ordered. Logan ignored him.

"What did you do to me?" He snarled his face close to mine.

"I didn't know you had lost your memories," I gasped as he squeezed the breath from my lungs.

He growled low and I realized he wanted to kill me. Tears filled my eyes as fear chilled my blood.

"Logan, let her go!" Professor Xavier commanded.

"Please," I whispered. "Please, don't." A single tear slid down my cheek as I stared into Logan's furious dark hazel eyes.

He snarled at me, the children around us stepping back in fear. "Are those my memories?" he asked slowly. I pushed at his hand trying to get more air into my lungs and heard the voice of the other man who had been in the alley when I had been taken. But Logan tightened his grip on me. "Answer me," he growled low.

"Yes," I managed to gasp out as the corners of my vision turned black. "Yes."

His hand was gone in the next moment and I fell to the ground. Confused, I dragged air into my aching lungs and looked up through the curtain of my hair to see the man from the alley and another young man with skin like metal pulling Logan away down the hall. He just let them drag him away, his angry gaze locked on me.

I shuddered as I was helped to my feet by a beautiful, mocha skinned woman with white hair. "Are you alright?" she asked me but before I could answer she had turned to a tall redheaded woman. "Jean, will you check her?"

Pushing away their hands after the Professor had ordered the children back to their classes and Jean had pressed at the quickly fading bruises on my neck I followed the echoes to find Logan and the man with the red tinted glasses who I now knew was Scott in a large sitting room arguing.

"Try and stop me, One-Eye," Logan snarled pushing past Scott who caught his arm.

"She's no threat, Logan. You can't just go around strangling innocent women," the shorter man said.

Logan turned on him. "Oh yeah? And who's gonna stop me, bub?"

I decided that it was time to diffuse the situation feeling the tension between them palpably. "If you touch me again I will stop you myself." I said stepping fully into the room.

Logan rounded on me and lunged with an angry growl. Spearing him with a look I used my powers to push him to his knees before he got half way across the room. He struggled against the hold I had on him but I ignored it. "Would you just stop?" I asked exasperated and feeling mentally drained.

He lifted his gaze to mine only to stop struggling long enough to crack his neck and answer me. "No."

"Alright." I turned as the soft whirr of the Professor's wheelchair announced his arrival. "That's enough of that," he added.

I relaxed, letting Logan get to his feet slowly. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, tense and ready to run if he tried to get to me again.

The Professor turned to me. "Please Miss…"

"Jenna Hughes," I supplied him with my name, willing to give him that at least.

"Please Miss Hughes," Professor Xavier said with a kind smile. "Take a seat. We need to talk…." He glanced at Logan's rage filled face. "About many things."

I took a breath feeling dizzy for a moment as echoes crashed into my conscious. For some reason the most vivid were the memories I had read from my contact with Logan. Taking my hesitation to mean I was afraid, Storm, the dark skinned woman with white hair who had followed the Professor into the room stepped forward. "You don't need to fear us. Logan will not hurt you and we want to know more about you."

Taking her word about everything but Logan, I walked to a chair in the corner and sat down. I had a wall at my back which was good if I had to fight and there was also a window to my left that was easily accessible if I had to leave quickly.

"What do you want to know?" I asked softly.

Logan, predictably, stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted by Scott. "What's your power?"

I looked away, my gaze turning to the window as I wished suddenly that I hadn't agreed to answering questions. I sighed and turned back to the room to find four very inquisitive gazes and one very angry gaze on me. "I can read echoes." Knowing they wouldn't understand I elaborated, "Echoes are the remnants of your memories left on something you touch. For example, I know who each of you are. Your names, the people you associate with, and your powers and weaknesses. With skin to skin contact I can read memories and transmit them back to you or into something else." I looked down at my hands lying in my lap and stopped my fingers from twisting around each other in a nervous habit I had picked up over the years. I swallowed fearfully and then decided to tell them the rest of what I could do. "I can also break down the matter of any object, manipulate it and also reform it with my mind."

"Show us."

I looked up to see Jean step forward. Sighing I turned my eyes to the bookshelf behind her and made a book slide off the shelf and float to the middle of the room. As it hung suspended in mid-air it started to disintegrate into nothing before it reformed in front of me and dropped to my lap. The Professor's look was one of quiet thought. "You should not have brought me here," I told the people in the room around me my eyes still on the leather cover of the book in my lap. "I am being hunted. If they find me here they will not spare anyone."

"You're safe here." Storm said coming to sit down on the couch near me.

I clenched my jaw and looked away. They didn't understand how much danger they were in. The book in my lap disintegrated and reformed back on the shelf as I stood up. "I can't stay here. I will only bring evil to this place."

I was stopped by Jean's soft question. "How old are you?"

My gaze jumped to her face and I was aware of Logan tensing in the corner ready to grab me again. "Older than you'd think." I said softly.

"You can heal." Scott said also stepping forward.

I nodded. "It is a part of my gift. I can put myself back together but if the wound is too bad my body can heal itself slowly, but the process is by far faster than a human's body healing itself."

"How old are you?" Jean asked again and I felt her pushing at my mental walls.

I shut her out of my mind. "I was born in 510 BC the year Rome became a Republic."

There was a heavy silence in the room after I revealed that particular truth. Then Logan managed to mutter about how that was impossible.

I folded my arms across my chest. "I became an oracle for the Emperors, a high priestess, until I ran from them and their bloody reign. I have lived through hundreds of wars, seen generation after generation of the human race kill each other and every other thing they touch." I walked toward him anger building within me as I remembered the horrors I had lived through. "The Coliseum was bad enough but then the higher powers of democracy and science found nuclear warfare to their taste and the world has become darker than I have ever seen it."

"You sound bitter." He growled as I stopped in front of him.

I laughed, itching to hit him. "It is what it is and when it ends it will be no one's fault but ours."

"So, you didn't have a hand in any of those bloody reigns or the killing then?" he asked.

The others in the room protested but I was too far gone in my anger. I raised my hand to slap him. He was faster than I had anticipated. He grabbed my wrist and swung me around throwing me back against the wall and trapping me between his arms as he put his fists against the wall on either side of me. I realised he had been goading me and glared up at him.

"What do you want from me, Logan?" I asked my voice calm even though I was still angry.

He leaned into me and I saw the others in the room start forward. "Give me my memories back," he snarled. "All of them."

I paled at his command. My hands starting to shake as flashes of the memories I had already given back to him filled my mind. I could still feel the pain he felt when his memories were taken. "I can't." I gasped out my eyes shut tight against the tears that filled them again.

A growl rumbled through him and he swore before grabbing my sleeve covered wrist and pressing my hand to his forehead. I screamed as his memories assaulted my mind before everything went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up in the infirmary below the school again. Jean was there this time and she explained that I had collapsed and been in a coma for two days. With the amount of trauma I had suffered from the onslaught of Logan's memories I knew that I would have died for a moment as well but no one needed to know that. Jean also told me that Logan had taken off only saying that he had to figure out some things. According to the redheaded doctor, he had only said a proper goodbye to Rogue, a mutant girl who could steal other mutant's powers through touch. A face swam into my mind at the name and I remembered the young southern girl asking me if I was lost when I had first found my way into the school.

The professor was the second person I saw that day. He offered me a place to stay and a teaching job promising that I would be safe. Against my better judgement I agreed and for the next four months I became a permanent fixture at Xavier's School for the Gifted teaching Classical Studies, Languages and Philosophy. The children at the school learnt to trust me and I came to want to protect them and even care for them – a new thing for me as I was used to being on the run from my past and was not used to feeling comfortable and safe.

But every night I would fight against dreams. Dreams of memories that were not mine. Dreams of a certain dark haired, hazel eyed mutant who was running just as I was even though he didn't know it.


	4. Chapter 4

My life had become normal, or as normal as the life of a mutant could get. I had the classes I taught every day, the friends I was making. But all I could think of was him. Logan. The man that I feared because of what he meant to me. He was everything I had taught myself to never be. Untamed, irrational, volatile. I couldn't rid myself of his memories and they permeated everything I did, every one of my dreams was shadowed by his scent, his heat and his touch. The memory of him called to me.

After a particularly vivid dream I had about four months after I had come to the school, I stood at my en suite sink, cool water splashing over my hands as I washed my face. I couldn't do this anymore I realised. I was being selfish staying here. And I knew from experience that it would all end in blood and darkness.

Slamming my fist into the mirror in front of me I felt the cracked glass cut my fingers. Crimson blood dripped into the sink and turned the water swirling down the drain pink. I forced my body not to heal itself needing to feel the pain instead of the deep aching need for freedom that had been beating through me for weeks now.

Sighing I knitted the glass atoms back together so that the cracks disappeared and then let my body heal. After washing the blood away I let Professor Xavier know that I wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be able to chaperone the trip to the museum that day. Changing from my pj's into a pair of dark blue track pants and a black tank top I padded barefoot to the danger room below the mansion. Programming a fighting simulation into the system I lost myself in a fight against hundreds of enemy soldiers, all from different eras in history.

Hours later I walked out of the room with new bruises littering my body and in the process of healing. I heard the children and their teachers arriving back at the school as I turned on my shower. Once I was finished and dressed there came a knock at my bedroom door.

"Come in," I called out as I stood in front of my mirror towel-drying my hair.

Rogue's head popped around my door. "Hey Jen," she smiled. "I was just wondering if you were feeling well enough to come down for lunch. Storm says we're eating in like five minutes. If not I'll bring ya somethin' from the kitchen?"

I turned to look at the younger girl tucking my still damp hair behind my ear. "I'll be down in a moment, sweeting. Just let me change and I'll come down to help with the food."

"Okay," she smiled sweetly before leaving.

Running a brush quickly through my hair and ignoring the water collecting at the tips I grabbed a long sleeved, green cotton shirt with a ripped neckline. Pulling it over my head I let it slip down over one shoulder showing off the cream coloured tank top I was wearing underneath. I changed my shorts for a worn pair of jeans and slipped on a pair of ballet flats.

Glancing at myself in the mirror I sighed and grabbed an elastic band to tie my hair with as I walked out of the room.

_"__Jenna, may I see you in my study please?"_ I jumped as Xavier's voice filled my mind.

Changing direction I walked to his study and found that Storm, Jean and Scott were already there.

"Please, have a seat," the Professor said to me.

I sat on one of the couches in the room, pulling my feet up under me. "What happened?" I asked knowing something was wrong. I knew these people so well now that I didn't need to read the echoes in the room to know that they were all worried about something.

Scott explained about the attack on the president from his spot leaning against the large bay-window casing. "My opinion, Magneto's behind this," he concluded turning to the rest of us in the room.

"No, I don't think so, Scott," Jean said from her seat opposite the Professor at the chess table.

"While Eric is capable of organising something like this from prison, for him it would be irrational," Xavier added. "It would only hurt his goal of mutant prosperity."

Scott sat down at the opposite end of the couch from me, holding his tie to his chest as he did. "You mean superiority."

Xavier looked up at him. "You're right. If Eric had his way."

"And of course you know how the government will react," Storm said coming to sit down beside me.

I sighed, "They'll reintroduce the registration act," I said softly sitting back and playing with the ends of my hair while I looked around the room.

"Or worse," Xavier said. "The president could declare a state of emergency. Place every mutant in the country under arrest."

Jean spoke up glancing once at Scott to share a look only married couples could understand. This was more dangerous than they had thought. "Do you think the mutant was working alone?" she asked Xavier and we all looked to him needing to know what he thought as our leader.

"Oh, we'll only know that if we find him before the authorities do," he told her. "I've been trying to track him using Cerebro, but his movements are…inexplicably erratic." His blue eyes locked with each of our gazes in turn as he spoke. "When I have more exact coordinates Storm, Jean, I'll need you to take the jet and try and pick him up," the two women nodded and I unfolded my legs from underneath me thinking the meeting was over and wanting to get to the kitchen to feed the kids. But Xavier wasn't finished. "Jenna, I need to speak with you. If the rest of you would be so kind as to go and get lunch ready?"

Once they were gone the Professor manoeuvred his wheelchair so that he was right in front of me.

I turned away from his penetrating but kind gaze. "I know-."

The usually polite man interrupted me. "You cannot keep this up, Jenna," he told me. "The danger room is not to be abused and you are not indestructible."

I blew a small breath out between my lips my aqua eyes lifting to his blue. "It's the only way to keep the guilt at bay, Professor. I should have left here months ago but I have become too comfortable, too soft. If anything happened to anyone because of me…" I looked away the faces of my students, my friends, filling my mind. "Evil follows me, Professor."

Xavier took my hands in his. "We protect our family here, Jenna. You are safe, even if you don't believe it."

I gave him a watery smile, "I will leave at the end of the week, Professor." I stood up. "I'm sorry but this is the only way I can keep everyone here safe."

I left the study blinking back tears. Walking to the kitchens I helped serve lunch. However, my appetite was gone. After cleaning up with Bobby and Rogue's help I went back up to my room. Once the door had closed behind me and the rest of the world was blocked out I let myself vent the frustration I was feeling. Glaring at the mirror in my bathroom again I pressed my fingers to the glass and let it disintegrate into sand. Feeling minutely better I took another shower feeling dirty all of a sudden as I thought about the children I was putting in danger. I even went as far as to rewash my hair.

Sitting in the middle of my bed when I was dressed in my clothes again I stared at myself in the dresser mirror that hung on the wall across from my bed.

I didn't answer the knock on my door but that didn't stop Storm from walking in anyway.

"Hey!" she snapped when I didn't look away from the mirror. I was so lost in the memories I had in my head, most of which weren't mine, that I jumped when she stepped between me and my mirror. "Come on," she said when I looked up at her. "Let's go. No more moping around in your room. You've got babysitting duty. The Professor is going to look for the mutant that attacked the president and then he's going to go visit Magneto with Scott. You're gonna be all by yourself with all the children."

I sighed but realised there was no use in getting upset about what I couldn't change. I plastered an almost real smile on my face and shook myself. "All right. I need to go and see if some of the kids need help with the assignment I set them yesterday. It's due tomorrow and I have a feeling John, Jubilee and Peter were sleeping through my class anyway."

Storm smiled. "Okay then," she nodded in satisfaction as if she had forced me up.

I rolled my eyes at her good naturedly and smiled as she pulled me to my feet. We started toward the study room where I knew at least a few of my students always hung around when they had free time or homework.

I heard a motorcycle coming up the drive but didn't give it any thought as we stopped in the dormitory hallway off of the teacher's wing so that I could help a young boy called Jeff tie his shoelaces. He was only five years old but because of his pebble-like skin and his ability to turn the things he touched into stone at will, he had been abandoned on the school's doorstep a month ago by his parents. I had been the one to find him screaming for his mother standing in the middle of the driveway in the rain and turning everything that touched him into stone. He had learnt to trust me and then the others around him and was now able to control his powers for the most part.

"You're so good with the children," Storm said after Jeff had run off to play with his friends, safe for the moment, from tripping over.

I shook my head. "They let me in, that's all. Well, that and I've had centuries of practice," I quipped grinning at the mocha skinned woman.

She shook her head, a smile on her face as we got to the stairs that lead down to the north wing entrance. I froze on the landing when I saw Bobby and Rogue talking to Logan in the entranceway.

"Well, look who's come back," Storm said making her way down the rest of the steps. "Just in time," She added with a quick saucy grin up at me. I just glared at her, folding my arms across my chest trying not to look at Logan as my stomach tied itself in knots.

"For what?" Logan asked her.

She walked up to join him, Bobby and Rogue. "We need another babysitter."

"Babysitter?" He asked and I finally had the courage to walk down the stairs as well.

I plastered a smile on my face. "It'll be just you, me and fifty kids," I sighed pulling my hair over one shoulder and plaiting it, trying to act nonchalant.

Logan's eyes moved over me. "You've made yourself at home."

I clenched my jaw feeling the familiar anger well up that I had felt when I was last near him. "And you're as charming as ever," I snapped. "Bringing home strays as well, I see," I added haughtily seeing a figure standing in the shadows of the entranceway door.

Logan had the audacity to smirk, "Wouldn't 've thought you'd call him a stray, darlin'."

My eyebrows drew together in an angry glare only to fly up in surprise when I heard a voice I would know anywhere.

"Jenna, cheri. Still with the quick temper. Ain't yah a sight for sore eyes, amore?"

I gasped before pushing past Logan and throwing myself into a welcome pair of arms, "Remy!" I sobbed into his shoulder, happy tears sliding down my face.

Our happy reunion was spoilt when Logan spoke up, "Well? You gonna tell us how the two of you know each other?" he asked.

I stepped back and took Remy's hand pulling him into the small group. "Remy and I have been friends for years," I said with a happy smile at the tall man beside me. His long brown hair, red eyes hidden under the shadow of the rim of his fedora and the quality cut of his long coat seemed so different from Logan's old battered leather jacket, jeans, plaid shirt and heavy boots.

"Really?" Storm asked and I could tell she was curious as to how friendly Remy and I were.

"She saved m' life and decided ah needed a sister. Ain't left me alone since," Remy said earning a jab in the ribs from my elbow as he joked.

"Remy," I sighed exasperated. "This is Ororo Munroe aka Storm, Bobby Drake aka Iceman and Rogue," I said introducing him to everyone there.

Remy shook hands with Bobby and leant over Storm and Rogue's hands kissing their knuckles in a move that even had Storm a little flustered.

"Behave," I hissed at him seeing the lingering look he gave Rogue. He just flashed me the grin that had every woman I knew swooning at his feet and pulled the tie from my hair unravelling my plait as he threw his arm over my shoulders.

For some reason I noticed that Logan bristled at the move. I just rolled my eyes and wrapped my arm around Remy's waist not needing to see Logan's reunion with a certain redhead who was just coming down the same staircase Storm and I had used. Excusing us from the others I lead Remy away. "You should meet the Professor," I told him. "How long are you staying, Remy? I will have to find you a room. How did you and Logan meet?"

With a long suffering sigh Remy stopped my blabbering by putting the hand that was draped over my shoulder over my mouth. "Ah'm stayin' as long as yah are, cheri. Logan came 'nd found me. Haven't seen him in years 'nd then he came into the casino and used them claws t' get me t' come back with him. Somethin' 'bout yah givin' him his memories back?" He raised a questioning brow and looked down at me.

I peeled his hand away from my mouth as I tried to ignore the blush colouring my cheeks. "I didn't realise what had happened to him. He touched me and it was as if my head was going to explode. I had to make it stop so I channelled his memories back to him. I stopped as soon as I realised he had lost them before." I didn't say anymore, not wanting to put words to what had been happening to me ever since.

"There's more, ain't there?" Remy asked.

I looked up at the only person I had let close, the man who was my brother in so many ways and my oldest and dearest friend. My gaze slid away from his as I sat down on a window seat in the hall, "I haven't been able to get him out of my head. I've dreamt about him every night since he's been gone and his memories just won't fade from my mind. He's lived for years, Remy," I said looking up at him as he sat down beside me taking off his fedora to push a hand through his long hair. "He can heal as I can. And… he scares me," I added twisting my fingers together in my lap. "When I'm near him I loose control of who I am. He pushes all my buttons and he knows it. He kept pushing me to give him his memories back but I'm not strong enough I was in a coma the last time he tried to take them back."

Remy tensed his red eyes sparking dangerously, "He put yah in a coma, cheri?"

I put a hand on his arm, both to calm him and to steady my skittish nerves, "It was my own fault. I let him bait me into getting close enough for him to put my hand to his skin. I was already weakened from being in such a new place with so many new echoes that I couldn't fight it and I couldn't channel them back to him. I blacked out."

Remy interrupted me, "Yah died too, didn't yah, cheri?"

I looked out the window and over the grounds of the mansion, "Probably," I shrugged. "It doesn't matter. The Professor has taught me ways to strengthen my powers and I've even got a job here," I added smiling at Remy.

He leaned back relaxing into a corner of the window seat our knees touching. "Well, well, ain't that a surprise. My little Jenna got herself a job."

I huffed at him, hitting him in the stomach. "Don't make me hurt you," I laughed with him.

After Remy had met the Professor and Scott and Jean I showed him to an empty room near mine and left him to unpack his things warning him not to go flirting with any of the females in the other dormitories unless he wanted to deal with Scott and the Professor.

I was walking to the kitchen to find some food since my appetite was back. I rounded a corner near the t.v. room and ran smack into someone.

I groaned from where I had landed hard on the floor, my nose broken and my face aching with a cold pain. Looking up I blew my hair out of my eyes realising I had walked into Logan's chest and, thanks to the adamantium on his bones, my nose was smashed and my face bruised. Getting slowly to my feet I waited until my face was healed before I glared at him. "What do you want?" I asked wiping the blood from my top lip with the back of my hand.

He walked passed me grabbing my arm and towing me to the elevator hidden behind the wood panelling of the hall.

"Where are we going?" I asked knowing that struggling against his hold was futile.

"Gonna see the Professor." Was his gruff response as the elevator door closed behind us and he pushed the button for the lower levels of the mansion.

We were quiet as we rode the elevator down. Logan pulled a cigar from his jacket pocket and lit it, drawing in a large amount of the smoke and relaxing a little. I ignored how the smoke melded with his scent and made me wonder if his skin smelt the same. When the elevator door opened with a soft hiss I gratefully stepped out and into the large area of the hall outside it putting some distance between Logan and I and missing the smirk on his face as we walked toward Cerebro. The door was open and Xavier was sitting at the end of the walkway as if he was waiting for us.

"Jenna," Xavier greeted without turning around as we walked into the room before he addressed the man beside me. "Logan, my tolerance for your smoking in the mansion not withstanding; continue smoking that in here and you will spend the rest of your days under the belief that you are a six year old girl."

I choked on a laugh as Logan took the cigar from between his teeth. "You'd do that?" he asked surprised.

"I'll have Jenna braid your hair," the Professor said with a smile in his voice.

This time I couldn't hold back my laugh. "I'll put beads in and everything darlin'," I told him putting a southern drawl into the last word.

Logan raised an eyebrow at me as Xavier put on the helmet that connected his mind to Cerebro. "Welcome back," he added still talking to Logan who was looking for somewhere to stub out his cigar.

The doors of the room slid shut and I jumped as Logan ground the lit end of his cigar into the palm of his hand. The smell of burning flesh made me wince as did Logan's gasps of pain. I grabbed his hand feeling the calluses of his fingers under my touch as he lifted the cigar, and I watched the burn shrink to nothing, my hands starting to shake.

I glanced up at Logan and froze; his hand warm in mine.

"You want us to leave?" Logan asked the Professor breaking eye contact and I dropped his hand and turned my back on him.

"No," Xavier said, "Just…don't move."

The rectangular metal panels on the wall seemed to shrink as I watched and then it was like we were propelled forward and there was suddenly a map of the world shining with white lights around us.

"These lights represent every living person on the planet." Xavier explained. "The white lights are humans," everything turned red and a few less lights showed up on the map. "And these are the mutants," figures of the mutants themselves moved around us. "Through Cerebro, I'm connected to all of them, and they to me," the Professor said. "You see, we're not as alone as you think."

I realised that he was talking to both Logan and I.

I had a job keeping still when Logan spoke up. "I found the base at Alkali Lake," he told Xavier. "There was nothing there."

Seeming to take no notice of Logan's words Xavier nodded slightly to the map of North America, "The broken line represents the path of the mutant that attacked the president. I've been finding it difficult to get a lock on him."

"Huh," Logan scoffed. "Can't you just concentrate harder?" he asked his jacket brushing against my back and pulling me from my thoughts, the lights becoming clear in my eyes again as I refocused on them.

"If I wanted to kill him; yes," the Professor said dryly. "There. Looks like he's finally stopped running," the map moved closer and I saw the figure of the mutant kneeling and murmuring a prayer in Russian. And then the room went back to normal. Xavier took off his helmet and put it down on its stand.

"I need you and Jenna to read my mind again," Logan said.

I started when he said my name. "That's why you brought me down here, to blackmail me into giving you back your memories?" I whorled on him but he ignored me looking only to Xavier.

"Logan," the Professor said turning his chair around so that he faced us. "I'm afraid the results will be the same as before."

I saw the restrained anger in the dark man's eyes as he shook his head, "We had a deal."

"The mind is not a box that can simply be unlocked and opened," Xavier explained. "It's a beehive with a million different compartments."

Logan spoke over him, "Spare me the lecture."

Xavier sighed, his infinite patience making me ashamed of my outburst, "I have no doubt your amnesia, your adamantium skeleton, the claws, are all somehow connected. But, Logan, sometimes the mind needs to discover things for itself."

Logan's glare turned to me, "They're my memories and you're just gonna keep them?" he growled.

I looked away, "I only know what I saw the first time I touched you. I gave you those memories back. Because of my black out the second time I don't remember anything I saw."

"You're lying." His voice dropped to a snarl and my eyes flicked to his as I took a fearful step away from him remembering his hand around my throat the last time he was this angry at me.

"I don't remember anything. If I did I would give them back to you," I said my heart pounding.

Logan's nostrils flared and I was sure he was about to lunge at me when Xavier manoeuvred his wheelchair between us, "Enough, Logan. We will talk some more when I return. If you would both be kind enough not to kill each other while you're looking after the children tonight, Scott and I are going to visit an old friend."

I saw Xavier's small smile as he rolled out of the room and wondered if he had read anything in Logan's mind or mine to have made him smile like that.

Logan watched him leave before putting his cigar back into his mouth and turning to glare down at me.

Pushing my fear to the side I lifted my chin and swept passed him and out of the room, determined not to let him intimidate me.


	5. Chapter 5

After Logan, Remy and I had fed the kids and got them all to bed I fell into my own bed and slept fitfully for a few hours. My dreams were the same as always. Logan was there just out of eyeshot or behind me. I didn't know how I knew that it was him but I did. There was pain and a woman screaming and then the dreams changed into my memories. Darkness, and then the fires; always the fires. My skin blistered and the pain became white hot until I couldn't feel it anymore. Bullets tore through my flesh and electricity cut through all thought, all feeling, leaving me numb as the darkness came down to strangle me.

I bolted upright in my bed cutting off a scream before anyone heard. My heart was pounding and my chest heaved as I tried to control the panic building in my chest. And then Remy was there pulling me into his arms as I started shaking.

He didn't say anything just held me close and hummed a tuneless melody against my hair. Slowly, I started to calm down, my body tingling and then feeling heavy.

"Cheri?" Remy's voice shook me out of the dark thoughts in my head.

I turned and hugged him, pressing my face to his bare shoulder before I slowly pulled away, "I'm sorry, Remy."

His eyebrows pulled together over his red eyes, "Yah don't have ta 'pologize, amore," he said tucking my hair behind my ear. "Ah just wanna make sure yah ain't hurtin' yourself."

I swallowed hard before nodding, "I'm fine. But maybe I should go and make myself some tea, and try and calm down a little."

He stood up with me, "Tea sounds good."

I laughed shaking my head, "I'm glad you're here Remy." As he smiled in self-satisfaction I added, "Who else would I laugh at if you weren't?"

His smile fell as he followed me out of my room, "Ah'll have yah know, cheri, if ah weren't here you'd be lonelier than eva."

Letting him grumble as we walked through the mansion I slipped my arm into the crook of his and promised to verse him in a game of poker if he'd stop whining.

"Hey Bobby," I said with a smile as we walked into the kitchen to find the young mutant sitting at the island bench in the middle of the room eating ice cream right from the tub with a spoon.

"Hey Jenna," he smiled giving Remy a challenging glare before going back to his ice cream.

I shook my head and moved to the kettle as Remy took a seat opposite Bobby smirking from behind a curtain of his hair while he picked a packet of sweetener out of one of the baskets on the bench in front of him. I knew he and Bobby weren't going to be friends anytime soon because of the way Remy had acted around Rogue earlier that day and she and Bobby had started dating a few months before.

Pulling two mugs out of the kitchen cupboard I filled them with the boiled water and seeped a tea bag in each. The tea made, I put Remy's mug down in front of him, leaned back against the kitchen bench beside the fridge, and watched with my mug cupped between both my hands as he ripped open five packets of sweetener and dumped their contents into his cup.

Bobby and I both winced as the red eyed mutant stirred his tea and sipped at the liquid. "You're disgusting," I said with a smile of disbelief. I had seen Remy drink his tea this way before but I was horrified every time.

He threw a grin at me over his shoulder and proceeded to take a very noisy sip from his mug. "Ah like things sweet, cheri," he said stirring his tea again.

I snorted and sipped at my own drink and Bobby went back to his ice cream. "I noticed," I said sharing a small laugh with Bobby at the expense of my friend.

Suddenly Bobby changed topics and looked up at me. "Why do your eyes do that?"

I blushed and put down my mug of tea beside Remy, leaning my forearms on the bench and rested against Remy's shoulder. I had been asked the same question about my strange coloured eyes by Jean a few weeks after I had come to the school. I shrugged. "My mutation makes them this colour," I said knowing that the vibrant aqua colour and the white striations around my pupils scared some people. That, coupled with my raven coloured hair and creamy sun kissed skin meant that my eyes always stood out.

"Was the first thing ah noticed 'bout her," Remy added, "That 'nd the fact that she was facin' ten thugs alone on the streets a New Orleans."

I bumped his shoulder with mine. "And you thought I needed saving big softy that you are," I grinned at Bobby.

"Ah ain't a softy, cheri. Just couldn't let a pretty one like yah go killin' my men," Remy said enjoying the surprised and slightly horrified look on Bobby's face a little more than he should have.

"Wait, so you met because you killed his men?" The young mutant asked me.

I sighed and glared at Remy for telling Bobby that I had blood on my hands. "No. We met because he decided to grow a conscience and not kill the girl who had just stolen most of his casino's profits for the month to give to the needy of New Orleans," I looked at Bobby again. "He got slapped for it too."

Bobby smirked as he went back to eating his ice cream a new respect in his eyes that I knew wasn't for Remy.

"Got anythin' with chocolate, cheri?" Remy asked me a few moments later, his sugary tea not enough to curb his sweet tooth.

I rolled my eyes but went to the cupboard knowing I'd get no peace until the man-child was fed his allotment of sugar for the night. I was reaching up into the top cupboard knowing I had seen a stash of chocolate bars there as I was cleaning up after dinner, when Logan's voice came from the doorway.

"Doesn't anybody sleep around here?"

I heard him walk into the room as Bobby answered. "Apparently not," he said glancing at Remy.

I jumped as Logan was suddenly behind me. "What're you lookin' for?" he asked.

My heart in my throat I stepped back from the cupboard "Chocolate. I know I saw some in here at dinner I just…"

I watched fascinated as Logan sniffed at the air for a moment before he reached around me to the cupboard over my head and pulled open the door. A moment later he handed me a chocolate bar he had found there.

"Th-thank you," I muttered wanting to kick myself for being so jumpy around the man.

Knowing by the set of Remy's shoulders that he was laughing silently at me I narrowed my eyes and stepped up behind him, dropping the bar of chocolate in front of him and then smacking him up the back of the head as punishment. All that achieved was that the Cajun's hidden smirk bloomed across his face.

I went back to leaning against the bench beside the fridge trying in vain not to watch Logan move around the kitchen out of the corner of my eye.

"Got any beer?" He asked opening the fridge's double doors and looking inside.

Bobby stared at him. "This is a school," he said a small smile on his face.

"So that's a no?" Logan asked looking at him over his shoulder.

"Yeah, that's a no," Bobby reiterated.

Logan closed the fridge. "Got anything other than chocolate milk?"

I spoke up making sure to look him in the eye and not get distracted by the fact that he was only wearing a white wife beater and jeans. "There should be some soda in that small cupboard," I said pointing to the row of cupboards on the other side of the kitchen.

Logan pulled out a cola and twisted off the cap throwing it down on the island bench beside Remy's now empty mug. Logan lifted the bottle to his lips but then thought better of it and held it out to Bobby. The mutant blew into the bottle and it chilled, ice forming on the sides.

"Thanks," Logan said impressed.

"No problem," was his answer.

Logan made himself comfortable, sitting on the stool beside Remy. Both seemed to tense at the same time before Logan turned to Remy. "You got somethin' to say, bub?" He asked a dangerous tone to the question.

Remy turned his whole body on the stool and pushed his hair back from his face. "Ah heard yah used my cheri tah try 'nd get your memories back," he said his voice low. "Heard it nearly killed her."

Logan's hazel eyes flicked to me and I ignored the accusation in his gaze letting my hair fall across my face like a shield.

"So?" The man said and I felt his eyes still on me. "She can handle it."

Through my hair I saw Remy's hand hover over the bottle top on the counter his fingertips glowing red as his power built up. I knew the destruction his manipulation of kinetic energy could cause and moved quickly. I was between him and Logan in three steps, my back to the larger of the two men as I put my hand over Remy's.

"You don't need to fight my battles for me," I told him before glancing at Logan over my shoulder noticing that Bobby was halfway out of his chair as I did. "And you," I said looking down at the large man. "Don't make me have to use my powers. You haven't seen the extent of them and I wouldn't want to scare you," I added baiting him just as he had done to me.

Logan studied me for a moment before turning back to his cola, "You'll have to show me someday, darlin'. I've been wonderin' how much of it's all bark and no bite."

I relaxed a little only to shoot Remy with a dirty look as he quipped, "No pun intended then, Wolverine?"

The bottle Logan had just lifted to his lips stopped in mid air and I braced myself to break up a fight only to see Logan grin before he tipped more cola into his mouth.

And just like that the tension in the air disappeared. Remy withdrew his hand from under mine and I relaxed letting him pull me to his side with an arm around my waist.

Logan also acted as if he was trying to make an effort. He started a conversation with Bobby, "How long you been here?" he asked putting his bottle down on the bench as I moved around the kitchen cleaning up.

Bobby started pushing his ice cream around the tub. "Couple years," was his vague answer.

Logan didn't seem to mind. "Your parents just sent you off to mutant school?" he asked.

I took Remy's mug from his hand when he held it out to me as he watched Logan and Bobby talk.

"Actually, my parents think this is a prep school," Bobby said hesitantly clearly ashamed of the fact that he was lying to them.

"Oh, I see," Logan nodded. "Well, I suppose lots of schools have their own dorms, campuses -."

"Jets?" Bobby interrupted him.

Shrugging Logan changed the subject, "So, you and Rogue, huh?"

I saw Remy stiffen as Logan said that and knew he was angry again. He was taking too much interest in a girl that was too young for him and already in a relationship. Sighing I walked over to him and pulled him from his stool to the sink handing him a tea-towel and making him wipe the dishes I was washing before he started another fight.

Bobby was distracted by my quick movements and seemed confused before he focused back on his and Logan's conversation, "Yeah. I mean, it's not what you think. I'd like it to be but it's just…" He stopped talking when he saw the look Logan was giving him realising he was about to cross a line he wasn't meant to cross. "I mean, it's not easy when you want to be closer to someone but you just…can't," he finished slowly looking back down at his rapidly melting ice cream. "You know, I've seen how you look at Miss Hughes," he added suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Logan asked dangerously.

Bobby shrugged, "Nothin'."

I was so shocked that the mug I had been scrubbing for too long slipped into the soapy water in the sink in front of me and smashed. Swearing in Latin under my breath I reached into the water before Remy could stop me and got a sliver of the ceramic stuck in my palm.

"Damn it!" I yelled pulling my hand from the water, sloshing soap suds over the bench.

Remy stared at me wide eyed as I whimpered holding my hand away from my body when blood welled around the wound.

With an exasperated sigh the tall mutant grabbed my wrist and plucked the shard of broken mug from my hand. I looked up at him with tear filled eyes as the cut knit itself back together. He understood the fear he could see there and pulled me into a hug.

"I thought you could heal," Logan said gruffly having watched the exchange.

I pulled away from Remy and washed my blood off of my hand. "I can. Doesn't mean I can't feel pain though," I told him as I used my powers to reform the mug and put it carefully onto the draining board before letting the now dirty water out of the sink.

Logan grunted as a reply before going back to his cola.

Wiping the already drying tears from my eyes I pushed Remy toward the door taking the tea towel from him. "Go back to bed. I'll put away the rest of the dishes," I told him.

He smirked. "You're gonna make a man a good little wife someday, cheri," he teased ducking my newly acquired tea towel as I chucked it at his head before he walked out of the room.

"I'm gonna kill him one day, I swear. Stupid Cajun," I muttered under my breath before I turned back to the dishes he had put onto the bench. I was so focused on putting away the dishes that I didn't see Logan get up from his chair.

"What is it?" Bobby's question made me turn to see Logan at the door to the kitchen listening for something.

"Shh-shh," was the swift reply. Without another word the dark haired mutant walked out of the room off to investigate whatever he had heard.

And that's when I heard the whirring sound. Bobby had heard it too and walked to the large bay window to check what was outside.

My eyebrows pulled together as I followed him, the whirring beat dredging up dark memories.

A bang behind us made Bobby and I whorl around to see a masked soldier in the kitchen, Logan had grabbed his arms from behind and the gun in his hand had gone off alerting us to his presence.

"You picked the wrong house, bub," Logan growled as the soldier struggled in his arms.

I grabbed Bobby and pushed him down behind the island bench a moment before an awful high pitched screaming rent the air. Distracted by the painful screaming, Logan's hold on the soldier weakened and the soldier lifted his gun and pulled the trigger. I fell down beside Bobby my arm bloody with a bullet graze as we covered our ears from the noise. Suddenly it ended, and I was on my feet in time to see Logan cut across the cheek by the soldier who lunged at him with a knife in his hand.

Logan held back his arm as the man tried to stab him and that was when I first saw Logan use his adamantium claws. They exploded from between his knuckles and he pushed the soldier back against the fridge stabbing him through the chest with a loud yell.

Breathing hard Wolverine stepped back from his kill and turned to Bobby and I. "You alright?" he asked us.

Bobby was crouched behind the bench and nodded. But I just stared at Logan. "Are you?" I asked him.

He gave me a confused look but I didn't have time to explain. Hearing the children screaming upstairs I ran to the door planning to help them.

I didn't realise how many soldiers there were and I didn't realise how close one of them was to the kitchen. He must have heard Logan's yell because he pulled a gun on me as soon as he saw me even though we were only standing a foot or two apart.

The feel of the cold metal mouth of the gun at my chest snapped something inside of me. The soldier hesitated and, before Logan could make it the few steps to my side to stop him, I had raised my hand to his cheek.

His memories flowed into me filling my mind but I only took the ones I needed. Channelling all his echoes back into his mind I brought the ones he felt most guilty about to the forefront. He cringed as memory after memory plagued him eating away at his conscience. I was too lost in my power to notice when he lowered and then dropped his gun his whole body shaking with sobs. He fell to his knees at my feet and pulled out his knife. Slicing across his own throat he fell to the ground with a bloody gurgle. I stared at his body feeling numb.

Logan's hands where on my shoulders then, he shook me, making me look up at him, "Jenna."

The sound of my name coming from him made me feel weak. He pinned me against the doorway when my legs gave way.

"Snap out of it," he commanded but I shook my head.

"The blood won't come off," I muttered faintly, having felt the soldier's blood spray against my hand as I touched him.

Logan glanced down at my bloody skin. "It doesn't stick when you're protectin' the ones you care about," he said gruffly as he grabbed the tea towel that I had dropped near the door when I had heard the helicopters. He wiped the blood from my fingers and then looked at Bobby who had disappeared behind the bench as soon as the soldier had appeared. I was thankful the young mutant hadn't seen what I'd done.

"Let's go," Logan ordered keeping a hold on me as Bobby nearly ran to us not looking at either body on the floor.

Logan pulled us out of the kitchen only to stop when he saw that there were more soldiers in the hallway.

He pushed Bobby and I back into the kitchen roughly with an order to, "Stay here."

He left us and methodically made his way down the hall killing enemy soldiers as he went.

Bobby grabbed my sleeve when Logan had disappeared around the corner. "I need to find Rogue," he told me.

"Bobby, you shouldn't go off by yourself, it's…" the words died on my tongue when I saw the fear and determination in his eyes.

"I have to try and save her," he told me.

We both jumped as more screams came from the upper levels of the mansion. I turned to Bobby and nodded. I led him to a hidden elevator and we rode it up to the higher levels. I blocked each bullet that was fired at us leading Bobby through the maze of dormitory hallways. I found Jeff cowering beside a stone soldier and lost Bobby when he kept running. Knowing that he was more able to take care of himself than the five year old I turned to help the small boy. When he realised who I was he wrapped his arms around my neck and let me carry him through the mansion. I prayed I would be able to find an escape tunnel before any more soldiers tried to shoot at us. As I ran a few of the children who saw me fell into line behind me and started running with me as I turned down corridors getting closer and closer to the hidden escape tunnel I knew was in that wing of the mansion.

I heard a thud the next corridor over and turned down it to see Peter, one of the older students at the school whose power gave him strength and metal skin when he needed it, herding a large group of children into the hidden tunnel I had been looking for.

"Peter!" I called out running to him and making sure all the children I had found went into the tunnel. I gently pried Jeff's arms from around my neck and kissed his forehead. "Go with Rose." I said, gently trying to hand him to a tall girl of about thirteen who could jump ten stories into the air.

"No," the little boy clung stubbornly to me his tears wetting the shoulder of my long sleeved black pyjama top.

"Hey," I looked up to see Logan striding along the hall from the opposite direction I had just come, an unconscious boy called Jones in his arms. "Take him, he's stunned," he handed the boy to Peter before turning to leave again.

I rubbed Jeff's back scared that he would be in danger if he stayed with me much longer. "Please, little one," I whispered in his ear. "I'll come find you when all the bad men are gone. I promise."

He looked up at me with tear filled black eyes before bursting into another fit of tears and letting Rose take him from my arms.

I looked up at Logan tears blurring my vision as he caught my arm and lead me away from the tunnel.

"I can help you," Peter called after us.

Logan turned and pointed to the tunnel. "Help them," he ordered before looking down at me. "You ready to go help some more kids?" he asked.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and nodded, hearing the tunnel's door close behind the children who had escaped already.

We moved quickly intending to go down the hall Logan had just left only to hear movement. Logan pressed himself back against the wall just before the turn, but with Jeff's cries still ringing in my ears I wasn't about to wait for the soldiers to come to me. Before Logan could stop me I had stepped around the corner stopping a spray of bullets as the soldiers who had been startled fired at me. As the bullets fell at my feet and their guns disintegrated in their hands I glared at them. "You shouldn't have come here. Now you're going to pay," I hissed. Logan took my words as the threat they were meant to be and lunged from behind me quickly killing the three soldiers in the hallway.

We heard an explosion one level down and I ran towards it, Logan at my side. I found Remy standing at the edge of the damage a staff in his hands.

Before I could check if he was alright Logan had grabbed my arm and motioned to the Cajun to follow him. I knew he had heard something neither Remy nor I had heard and that he was leading us toward more of the soldiers. We made it to the landing above the north entrance in time to see eight soldiers burst through the door and aim their guns at Rogue, John and Bobby.

Letting go of me Logan threw himself over the landing railing with an animal like roar. I grinned at Remy as he grabbed me around the waist and we jumped down into the fight on the ground level. I grabbed a soldier's arm and slammed my fist into his face as Logan cut down two and Remy swung his staff into another's face with a sickening crack. I was grabbed from behind only to have the soldier scream as I turned on him and forced him to his knees with a hand to his forehead showing him his guilt and letting it kill him. I turned again as the last soldier still standing pulled a gun. It exploded in his hand when a red, glowing playing card hit it, the force of the explosion killing him instantly.

Seeing that we were all alright Logan drew his claws back into his arms and nodded to the three kids. "Let's go." We turned to follow him to the door only to have it open before anyone touched it, air hitting us as the beating whir of a helicopter's rotors meant that there were too many soldiers outside for us to fight our way out. "Come on, this way." Logan said leading us away from the door and back into the mansion.

Bobby ran passed all of us and led the way to the nearest escape tunnel. "This is it." He said pushing against a panel on the wall and opening the door. The three youngest mutants ran in first and then Remy and I did. I froze at the sound of the door closing behind me. I turned to see that Logan was still in the hallway.

"No!" I cried out only to have Remy grab me around the waist as I tried to get to the door.

"He's buyin' us time to get out, Cheri." He told me. "We gotta get these kids out."

I pushed his arm away. "Then get them out." I said before letting my body slide through the wall before Remy could stop me.

Logan had his claws out and was facing down a group of six armed soldiers an unarmed man standing in the middle of them. I took a step forward and placed my body in front of Logan's only to have him snake an arm around my waist and pull me back against his chest. Before he could push me behind him the unarmed man stepped forward.

"Wolverine?" He called and I felt Logan tense. "Well I certainly must admit that this is the last place I would expect to find you." He said as he walked forward. "How long has it been, fifteen years? You haven't changed one bit. Me, on the other hand." He stepped into the dim light cast from the flash lights on top of his soldier's guns and touched his face. "Nature." He said with a smile that made my skin crawl. I jumped as I felt Logan's claws retract into his arms my hands on the one around my waist. The man continued. "And it seems Xavier is taking in all the strays." His gaze dropped to me. "It's quite an honour to be in the same room as one of Doctor Mortimer's greatest projects. Hello Genesis."

My body went cold and my stomach dropped at his words.

"How do you know her?" Logan growled from behind me sensing my reaction to the man's words.

With a smile the man who was obviously the leader of these soldiers glanced between the two of us. "Well now, that would be telling, wouldn't it?" A chill went down my spine at the cold, calculating look he had on his face. And then it was gone and he turned his attention back to Logan. "I didn't realise that Xavier was taking in animals, even animals as unique as you."

Logan's chest rose and fell against my back and I felt his words rumble through me as he asked, "Who are you?"

The man smiled taking great pleasure in the fact that Logan had had to ask. "Don't you remember?"

Walking forward Logan stepped out from behind me not even noticing as I grabbed his hand trying to keep him away from the man that sent fearful chills through me.

Out of nowhere an ice wall formed between Logan and I, and the soldiers and their leader.

Pulling his hand from mine Logan stepped forward putting his hands to the ice. "No, no!" he yelled desperate to know how the man had known who he was.

"Logan, come on, let's go." Rogue called from the now open escape door. I couldn't even turn as Remy put his hands on my shoulders intending to lead me to the tunnel.

"He knew me." I whispered my body starting to tremble. "He knew what I was to Him."

"Cheri." Remy said gently as he tried to get me to focus on his face. "We've gotta go, amore."

I stared at the shadow of the man through the ice as he reached up to touch it. A shiver wracked my body when Logan pressed his hand to the ice wall in the same place.

"Logan." Bobby called him again.

The tall man glanced back at us before turning his gaze back onto the wall again. "Go. I'll be fine."

"But we won't." Rogue said softly.

Logan turned back to us and I felt his eyes land on me. The air left my lungs and I started to gasp for breath as I realised that now He would know I was there. Logan walked to me and swung me up into his arms glancing back only once before telling the others, "Go." And following them into the tunnel closing the door and putting me down on my feet as I fisted his wife beater and tried to stave off the panic attack that was making my chest tight. "Keep goin'." He snapped at Remy who was lagging behind to try and see if I was okay. He pulled me against his side and wrapped an arm around my waist so that we could run together down into the dark tunnels below the school and even below the X-Men bunker.

"We should go to the garage and get a car, get as far away from here as we can." John said once we were able to stop for a moment at a fork in the tunnel.

Logan glanced down at me as I stared at the wall opposite us still shaking. Making a decision he nodded and lifted me in his arms again before leading the way to the ladder that led up through the garage floor. Remy pulled me away from Logan's hold as soon as we got to the foot of the ladder.

"Sorry, Cheri." Was all he said before he slapped my across the cheek pulling me from my stupor even as Logan slammed him back against the wall with a low growl.

I shook myself seeing how scared Rogue, John and Bobby were and grabbed Logan's arm as he lifted a fist to Remy's face. "We don't have time for this." I said sounding pitifully scared.

Logan's jaw clenched but he stepped back from Remy and we all climbed up the ladder and into the garage.

Bobby switched on the light and we hurried to what I knew was the fastest car in the room as well as being the only one that was not blocked in by other cars. It was small but it was the only one that could get us out of the area fast and without raising too much suspicion.

"Come on. Get in. Get in." Logan said gruffly knowing we were running out of time and probably hearing the soldiers on the mansion grounds looking for us.

"I'm drivin'." John said opening the driver door as Bobby got into the back on the other side of the car and Rogue got into the front passenger seat so that she wouldn't touch anyone.

"Hey." Logan grabbed John's shoulder and pushed him away from the door. "Maybe next time."

John didn't argue with the taller and stronger man and got into the back sliding over into the middle so that Remy could get in as well and then I could squeeze myself onto my adoptive brother's lap, grateful that I was short enough not to have to squish too much.

"This is Cyclops's car." Bobby said as Logan sat up from trying to open the box under the staring wheel to try and hotwire the car.

"Oh, yeah?" Logan smirked before unsheathing the middle claw on his right hand and sticking it into the ignition.

The car started with a growl and Logan sent it skidding out of the garage when the door automatically opened.

We were lucky that none of the soldiers or helicopters seemed to be in the area as we drove at top speed out of the mansion gate and out of Westchester. Once we were driving in the forest outside of the city limits Logan slowed the car down minutely taking notice of the fact that there were others in the car that weren't going to walk away if the car was wrecked.

"What the hell was that back there?" John finally asked from where he was squeezed into the back seat between Bobby and Remy and I.

Logan was silent for the moment before a name came to him. "Stryker. His name is Stryker." He said and I bit my lip knowing Remy was about to explode angrily.

"Who is he?" Rogue asked gently.

"I can't remember." Logan growled frustrated at how much he still couldn't recall.

I jumped as Remy finally lost it. "Yah were s'pposed tah kill that evil years ago." He snarled. "Ah risked my life getting' yah to the island 'nd yah didn't even finish the job?"

"What the hell d'you mean kill him?" Logan nearly shouted.

Remy leaned around me and I caught his hand as he reached out to grab Logan's shoulder and use his ability to hurt him. "Ah flew yah to that hell hole of an island so that yah would kill Stryker 'nd every other scientist there. Yah helped all the mutants escape then yah went after him. Why'd yah not finish it?"

The echoes of Logan's last pain-filled memories before he lost his memory made my breath catch when I recalled them. "He couldn't stop Stryker because Stryker took his memories." I said quietly. "Stryker hurt him as much as he hurt you Remy. Let it go."

The Cajun glared at me before sitting back still darkly angry but not about to hurt Logan for the moment and I relaxed turning my eyes out onto the trees streaming passed us knowing that Logan would have some more questions for me when he got a chance to corner me.

I heard Rogue move as she pulled off the pair of dog tags that she always wore around her wrist and handed them to Logan. "Here. This is yours." She said softly.

Logan took the chain and tags and glanced at them before looking at Rogue for a moment.

I saw the look Bobby gave them and so did John apparently.

"I don't like uncomfortable silences." He said moving to lean between the front seats.

"What are you doin'?" Rogue asked.

John pushed the power button for the radio and we all winced as a boy band song came blaring out of the speakers.

Logan groaned as I put my hands over my ears, Rogue rubbed her temple her face scrunched up in disgust, Bobby's nose wrinkled in distaste, John made a disgusted face, and Remy gritted his teeth. Needing the song to stop John pushed one of the other buttons. The music shut off and then we all stared as the front of the radio opened and a small silver oval object with an 'x' on the back, slid out.

"I don't think that's the c.d. player." John said.

Logan picked it up and pushed on the sides. It lengthened with an electronic beep and I realised it was a phone of some sort. Logan must have realised the same as he put it to his ear for a moment.

"Sit back." He told John who did just that making the rest of us in the back seat squash up again.

"Where we goin'?" Remy asked still sounding angry.

"Storm and Jean are in Boston. We'll head that way." Logan told us.

Bobby suddenly spoke up. "My parents live in Boston."

"Good." Logan said before putting his foot down on the accelerator again.


	6. Chapter 6

We got to Bobby's house by mid morning the next day. Parking the car in the driveway we followed him into the house.

"Mom, Dad? Ronnie? Is anybody home?" Bobby called as we walked into the entrance-way of the house. When he got no response the young mutant turned to us. "I'll try find us some clothes."

I grabbed John's wrist. He had been flicking the lighter in his hand for hours and it was getting on my last nerve. "Enough."

Bobby glanced at him. "Don't burn anything." Before walking further into the house.

I caught Remy's arm when he walked passed me knowing the Cajun was too nosey for his own good. "Don't blow anything up." I warned him.

He flashed me a grin before locking eyes with Rogue and then disappearing down the hall looking into each room as he went.

Rogue seemed mesmerised for a moment before she shook it off and followed John up the stairs at the end of the hall.

Not wanting to be left alone with Logan I moved through the house easily finding the kitchen. I jumped as Bobby spoke from the doorway.

"I found you and Rogue some clothes." He said holding out a folded pair of bell bottom jeans, sandals and a floaty shirt to me. "They're pretty old but it's all I could find." He apologized as I took the items. "The bathroom's down the hall first door on your left if you wanna go change."

"Thank you, Bobby." I said grateful to be getting out of my dirty sweat pants and shirt.

I found the bathroom easily and changed thankful that the clothes hadn't been worn very much and that their echoes were fading. I stepped out of the bathroom only to start when I saw Logan leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom. He had changed into a white t-shirt that Bobby must have given him to wear.

"So," he raised his hazel eyes to my aqua gaze. "You gonna tell me why you were so scared back at the mansion or do I have t' ask your red eyed friend?"

I swallowed hard and went to walk past him. "It's nothing -"

Logan caught my arm stopping me. "Didn't seem like nothin', kid."

I pulled my arm from his grasp scared for his safety and the safety of everyone I cared about if they knew my past. "Just leave it, Logan. And don't call me kid." I snapped before walking back to the kitchen praying he wouldn't follow me but knowing deep down that he wouldn't give up that easily.

He followed me. "You knew Stryker."

It was an accusation rather than a question but I answered anyway. "No." I leaned my hands on the edge of the sink unable to fully block out the memories, my memories. "But I knew one of his mentors."

Unsatisfied with my vague answer Logan grabbed my arm and turned me to look at him. "That's not all of it."

Fighting back my tears and not wanting to look weak in his eyes I was about to lie when Remy spoke from the doorway that led to the lounge. I hadn't even realised he was there. "Them scientists hurt her, mon ami." He told Logan whose eyes were still on me. "Never seen anyone hurt like they hurt yah, Cheri."

"Stop it!" I cried hating the nightmares his words dredged up.

Logan studied me for a moment before his grip on my arm gentled. "That's not all of it." He said again and my startled gaze flew back to his face.

"That's all you need to know." I told him trying to twist out of his hold but even if it was gentler than before I still couldn't get free.

But the large mutant wasn't listening. "Jenna," when he said my name I stilled staring up at him. "Who's Doctor Mortimer?"

My lungs froze at the sound of that name a painful sob slipping from between my lips.

"Jenna." Logan said again shaking me slightly and speaking more forcefully. "Who's Doctor Mortimer?"

I glanced at Remy as he stood, still in the doorway, his tall frame ringed in the light thrown across the room from the windows in the lounge. My gaze then flicked unseeingly from his worried face to Logan's chest as the faces of those I loved filled my mind before I allowed myself to look up at the man whose face had plagued me for so long. "He's…evil."

Logan's eyes flicked over my face and I knew he was making sure I was telling the truth. Finally, with a stiff nod he let go of me and stepped back. I glanced at Remy only getting a look that I couldn't read from him before he turned and left me alone with Logan again.

Logan glanced at me but, deciding the conversation was over he pulled out the cell phone he had taken from Cyclops' car. He studied it for a moment before pushing on the sides. The phone extended and Logan put it to his ear. "Hello?" he said into it. "Hello?" when he got no answer he looked at the cell again. "Jean." He muttered. "Where are you?"

Running a hand through his dishevelled hair the feral mutant muttered, "I need a beer."

Sifting through the echoes I had read when I had entered the room I nodded to the fridge. "There's beer in there." I told him my voice still unsteady but strengthening with every word.

His dark gaze collided with mine and I bit my lip and turned away, suddenly needing a drink as well.

Giving up on trying to contact anyone for the moment, Logan put the cell back in his pocket and went to the fridge. "You wanna drink?" he asked when he found the beer I had told him was there.

Smiling weakly I shook my head. "I'm fine."

He gave me a look as if to say 'suit yourself' before he grabbed a beer from the fridge and twisted off the cap. Watching him gulp it down out of the corner of my eye, I tensed when he stopped and turned quickly unsheathing his claws at the cat that had made its way stealthily onto the kitchen bench. The feline looked up at him as I tried to stifle a giggle before it started licking one of his claws.

I was tempted to laugh out loud until I saw Logan's face. His scowl softened as his predator side recognised the feline as a fellow animal.

The moment was interrupted when we heard the back door open. Logan sheathed his claws and then stepped in front of me turning to face whoever or whatever was coming inside.

I recognised Bobby's parents and younger brother from the pictures on the wall as his mom quickly picked up the cat and his father stepped forward.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded of Logan.

Bobby ran down the stairs as Remy stepped into the kitchen as well and Rogue and John followed Bobby.

"Honey, aren't you supposed to be at school?" Bobby's mom asked him.

Before Bobby could answer his dad asked, "Bobby, who are these people?"

"Ahhh." Bobby glanced at us over his shoulder and I stepped out from behind Logan annoyed that he thought I needed protecting.

"This is Professor Logan, Professor Hughes and Professor Lebeau." Bobby lied and I shot Remy a glare as he grinned, thankful that his hair was hiding his eyes for the most part and that Bobby had given him a shirt and sweatpants to wear. "There's something I need to tell you." The young mutant added and I realised he meant to tell his family about his abilities.

His mom glanced at everyone in her kitchen and tried to deal as best she could. "How about we all go and sit in the lounge?" she asked with a forced smile. "Who would like some tea?" she added as we made our way to the lounge.

We all declined but she made some for herself before settling down on the couch, Ronnie, Bobby's brother, beside her and Bobby's dad sitting on the lip of the elevated fire place. Bobby and Rogue sat on the couch as well with John leaning against a sideboard behind them and Remy, Logan and I standing near the kitchen doorway.

Bobby came out with it and then there was a tense silence as his family tried to process that their son and brother was a mutant.

Bobby's mom was the first to speak. "So, ah, when did you first know that you were a…"

"A mutant?" John asked enjoying the antagonism that the word was causing.

"Would you cut that out?" Bobby's mom said to him glancing at the lighter he had flicked on and off since the conversation had started.

"You have to understand." Bobby's dad finally spoke up. "We thought Bobby was going to a school for the gifted."

Rogue was quick to defend her boyfriend. "Bobby is gifted."

"We know that." The man amended. "We just didn't realise-"

His wife cut him off and turned to their son. "We still love you Bobby. It's just this mutant problem is a little…"

"What mutant problem?" Logan asked clearly and rightly defensive.

"Complicated." The woman said to him.

Bobby's dad finally asked, "What exactly are you professor of Mr. Logan?"

Leaning against the doorway Logan deadpanned. "Art."

With a startled look Bobby's dad then turned to look at Remy and I, "Mr. Lebeau and Mrs. Hughes?"

Remy mirrored Logan's stance and leaned against the opposite side of the door. "Cooking 'nd etiquette." He said loftily and I had a hard time keeping a straight face as I gave the only truthful answer. "Classical studies, Languages and Philosophy. And it's Miss Hughes." I added with a small smile to take the sting out of the comment.

Mr Drake nodded and then Rogue spoke up. "Well, you should see what Bobby can do."

Reaching out Bobby touched the tea cup in his mothers hand and froze the brown liquid inside it.

With a gasp the woman turned the frozen dome of tea out onto the cup's saucer and put both the saucer and cup onto the coffee table in front of her. The cat jumped up onto the table and proceeded to lick at the ice.

Bobby's younger brother who had sat silent and angry ever since Bobby had revealed his abilities was suddenly on his feet. He crossed the room and pushed passed me before running up the stairs.

I glanced at Remy when I felt echoes of the young boy's anger and feelings of betrayal when he brushed past me.

"This is all my fault." Mrs. Drake said rubbing her palms over her knees in distress.

"Actually, they discovered that males are the ones that carry the mutant gene and pass it on." John spoke up, again stirring the pot. "So, it's his fault." He pointed at Bobby's dad.

"John." I hissed getting his attention and glaring at him. "Stop it."

He clenched his jaw and turned back to studying his lighter and I knew he was itching to use it.

The uncomfortable silence was broken as a beeping sound started up. We all turned to Logan who took a moment to realise it was the cell phone in his pocket that was going off.

"Oh. God." He said pulling it out of his pocket. "It's for me." He walked swiftly to the sliding doors on the opposite side of the room and stepped outside.

"Bobby." Mrs. Drake said turning to her son and smiling desperately. "Have you tried…not being a mutant?"

I understood that these people were trying to come to terms with their son's confession and not colour him with the same animosity that the media had told them too, but that comment sent me over the edge.

Pushing back my hair I stepped forward and let them see my eyes properly. "With all due respect Mr. and Mrs. Drake, this isn't a question of your son being a mutant or not." I said gently. "This is a question of whether you can accept Bobby for who he is, not define him by what he is."

The couple looked at me clearly terrified by the strangeness of my eyes and angry because I had questioned their love for their son.

"We will love Bobby no matter what." Mr. Drake said. "And you have no right to come into our home and ask us otherwise."

I searched both their faces before I nodded. "I'm sorry but I have seen enough of this society to know that people may say one thing and mean another."

Whatever the couple were about to say to me was cut off as Logan stalked back into the house. "We have to go. Now!" He told us as Remy and I straightened recognising the urgency in his voice.

The three younger and untrained mutants didn't. "Why?" Rogue asked.

"Now!" Was Logan's only answer as he led us out the front door, unsheathing his claws as he did.

There were three police cars on the lawn and officers taking cover behind their doors, their guns trained on us as I pushed Rogue, Bobby and John behind me a little so that if need be Remy, Logan and I could fight.

"Drop the knives and put your hands in the air." One officer said as he and his partner came up on either side of the porch their guns drawn and aimed at us.

I grabbed Remy's arm as he tightened his hold on his staff knowing he wanted to fight but I couldn't let him risk the kid's lives.

"What's goin' on here?" Logan asked.

I was the only one to hear Bobby's answer. "Ronnie."

"I said drop the knives." The officer told Logan again.

We heard breaking glass and Bobby's mom scream inside the house as the police came in the back.

"This is just a misunderstanding." Logan said calmly trying to defuse the situation.

But the officer wasn't listening. "Put the knives down!" he told Logan a third time and I saw that Logan was coming to the end of his patience as was Remy.

"I can't." Logan said and I watched as he lifted his arms out on either side to show the officer. "Look."

The sound of the adamantium claws _snick_-ing back into Logan's arms and the officer's gun going off happened almost simultaneously.

Rogue screamed as Logan dropped to the ground a bullet hole in his head

"All right, the rest of you! On the ground! Now!" The officer ordered us.

I forced Remy to drop to his stomach with the rest of us knowing that Logan was okay and that it was safer if the rest of us just did as the police said. I glanced up as John stayed on his feet. "John." I warned but my voice was drowned out by the officer.

"Look kid, I said on the ground, now."

"We don't want to hurt you kid." The officer's partner added but John didn't listen.

He lifted his lighter flicking it on. "You know all those dangerous mutants you hear about on the news?" he asked and my stomach sunk at his next words. "I'm the worst one."

Using his ability to control fire John sent a fire ball at each officer and then through the house behind us.

Unable to see anyone get hurt I stood up as John made two cop cars explode.

"Stop it." I ordered him grabbing his arm.

He glanced at me before shaking his head. "Sorry, Miss Hughes. They've gotta learn."

I gasped as he moved as if to push me away, a fire ball hit me in the chest and I flew backwards, landing on the grass and blacking out for a moment.

I woke up to a hand on my cheek. I stiffened only to read the echoes from that hand and realise it was Remy.

"Yah all right, Cheri?" he asked as I opened my eyes and he helped me to my feet.

I nodded. "Remind me to teach John not to throw fire balls and antagonize a situation when this is over." I said wiping the soot from my skin as Logan and the three kids hurried over to me.

"Get in line, amore." Remy told me with a dark glare at John as he walked passed. "Let's get t' the jet." He added wrapping an arm around my waist as we followed the others to the large black X-Men jet that must have landed on the road when I was unconscious.

We made it up the steps and into the large interior of the jet in time to see Logan turn on John and grab him by the front of the shirt dragging him close.

"Don't do that again." He growled in the freaked out kid's face. "Understand?" At John's shaky nodding Logan snarled. "You use your powers on her again and I'll use my claws on you. Got it?"

"Logan." I stepped forward and put my hand on his arm trying to calm him as he let John go. Our eyes locked and it was as if there was no one else around us. "I'm fine." I managed to say even though my brain was telling me that it was dangerous to be this close to a feral mutant like him with or without the centuries of echoes that were imprinted on his skin.

I jumped as Remy cleared his throat meaningfully behind us and instantly I was blushing. Stepping passed Logan I was so intent on trying to cool the blush on my cheeks and find a seat that at first I didn't realise Logan had caught my wrist until he tightened his grip a little.

I stared down at his hand on the naked skin of my wrist and it took a moment for me to process the fact that my mind wasn't being hammered by his echoes. He seemed to take a moment to realise the same thing and then Storm was telling us to sit down as she prepared the jet for take off.

"Later." Was all Logan said gruffly before he let me go and led the way to our seats.

"Gutentag." We were greeted by the mutant whom the Professor had been tracking the day before as we sat in our seats.

"Who the hell is this?" Logan asked obviously having forgotten that Jean and Storm were looking for the mutant who had attacked the President.

The mutant answered him. "Kurt Wagner. But in the Munich Circus I was known as the Incredible Nightcrawler."

Logan wasn't in the mood to hear what he could tell was going to be a long life story. "Yeah, save it. Storm!" He snapped before turning back to doing up his belt.

"We're out of here." Storm told him as she fired up the jet engines.

The take off was rough and for the first time I saw Logan scared of something. Remy smirked as the feral mutant grabbed his arm rests quickly when the jet lifted off from the ground.

I was more concerned with the fact that Bobby was upset by what had happened. Getting his attention I said, "They still love you, Bobby. Just give them time. Okay?"

He forced as smile that we both knew was fake, and nodded.

A few minutes after we had started our flight back to the mansion, I watched as Logan got out of his seat and walked up to the front of the cabin intent on talking to Storm and Jean.

I had heard about his flirtation with Jean, but seeing the way they moved around each other hurt in ways I never thought they would.

"How far are we?" he asked her as he leaned an arm on the back of her chair.

I looked away ignoring both Remy's eyes on my back and Rogue's glance back at me.

I only tuned back into the conversation when a loud and persistent beeping sounded.

"We've got four signals approaching." Storm told Jean and Logan. "Coming in fast."

A woman's voice came over the comm. in the jet. "Unidentified aircraft, you are ordered to descend to twenty thousand feet. Return with our escort to Hanscom Air Force Base. You have ten seconds to comply." The transmission cut off and Storm, Jean and Logan shared a worried look. "Wow, somebody's angry." Storm said annoyed.

Logan turned a glare onto John where he sat in the seat behind Jean. "And I wonder why." He said with dry humour.

I tightened my grip on the handles of my seat worried that the situation was about to get much, much worse.

The voice was back to inform us that, "We are coming up beside you to escort you to Hanscom Air Force Base. Lower your altitude now. Repeat. Lower your altitude, now. This is your last warning."

I couldn't understand why Storm or Jean weren't doing anything. Remy leaned forward in the seat behind me and put a calming hand to my shoulder.

Everyone waited with bated breath as Storm informed us that the four aircraft were falling back.

Suddenly, a loud wailing siren started up on the jet's control panel.

"They're marking us." Storm said shocked.

"What?" Logan asked his nostrils flaring at the scent of Jean and Storm's worry.

"They're gonna fire." Storm told him before she turned to the rest of the people in the jet. "Hang on." She ordered us before jumping into action.

The jet sped up and Logan fell against a wall before throwing himself into his chair and doing up his seat belt like everyone else.

Seeing that Rogue was having trouble with her belt because of her long gloves, I manipulated the belts so that they clicked into place by themselves around her. She shot me a grateful smile that quickly turned into a grimace as Storm turned the jet so that it rolled.

"Please don't do that again." John asked her looking a bit green.

Logan glanced at him before he added. "I agree." Looking decidedly green as well, he then snapped, obviously hating being in the jet. "Don't we have any weapons in this heap?"

The weather outside started to darken as he said it. I knew Storm was using her mutation and realised that even with the strength of her powers, we would still need more.

I lowered my head and closed my eyes, concentrating on the fighter plane furthest from the jet. My mind wandered over its controls until I found what I was looking for.

"What the hell!?" I heard the pilot of the small plane curse as his visor dropped down in front of his eyes, his hand was forced from the plane's controls and the emergency handle came up. I let go of my control over him and the plane when his parachute opened. I repeated my actions with one of the other planes. Coming back to awareness in the jet, I looked up as Storm's tornadoes took out one of the remaining planes before the fourth and final fighter jet fell back.

The sky cleared almost immediately and everyone seemed to relax. "Everybody okay back there?" Jean asked.

There were a few nods and some shaky yes's, one of which came from Remy, and Logan responded with a snapped 'no'.

"You're bleeding."

I looked over at Bobby and saw his concerned face. Lifting a hand to my upper lip I realised my nose was badly bleeding, something that hadn't happened since Logan had forced me to read his echoes.

And then that hated bleeping started up again.

"Oh my god, there's two of them." Storm said as two missiles appeared on the screen in front of her, locked onto the jet's heat signature.

Jean quickly disabled one of them, making it blow up in mid air. And then she gasped and I knew she didn't have enough strength to stop the other.

"No." I muttered, as the other missile made it to the plane. I slipped from the straps around me and used my powers to keep me from being sucked out of the jet. Moving quickly, I controlled the blast forcing the fire from the explosion away from the jet and, even as my vision began to blur and darken, I tried to fix the hole in the jet's body and its controls. The last thing I heard before my body gave out was a shouted 'NO!' and then strong warm arms wrapped around my body and I was thrown to the floor.

I was woken by a jolt. My eyes snapped open and all I could see was a white clad shoulder and the roof of the jet above me. I moved slightly, turning my head to see a pair of dark hazel eyes staring down at me.

Every breath I took reminded me of how close Logan's body was to mine. The _snik_ of his claws sliding back into his arms made me jump before he pushed himself up off me and helped me to my feet. The plane was on the ground and everyone was starting to un-strap themselves from their seats and move toward the exit ramp at the rear of the plane.

A pair of arms wrapped around me and I was jolted off my feet and into the arms of my adoptive brother.

"Yah ain't ever to do that again, Cheri. Yah hear?" he muttered into my hair. "If I ever have to see yah sacrifice yah-self like that again, I'll throttle yah." He added pulling back to search my face.

"I'm fine." I told him hardly believing the words I said even though my heart beat reassured me I wasn't dead.

Remy just shook his head before he turned to Logan and held out his hand to him. "My thanks, mon ami." He told him.

Logan looked a bit wary of the long haired mutant's motives but shook his hand anyway.

With one last look at me, Remy turned to help Bobby assist a visibly shaking Rogue out of the jet, despite the teenage boy's baleful glare.

I turned to Logan. "What happened?"

He studied me for a moment before answering. "Yah stopped the blast from killing us, tried to fix the damage to the plane and nearly died doin' it."

I rubbed my wrist, embarrassed and confused at the look in his eyes. "I-."

"Magneto's here. He stopped the plane falling." He interrupted me and then wrapped an arm around my waist and led me out of the jet.

Once down on solid ground I tried to walk but my legs didn't seem to want to cooperate.

"Whoa." Logan caught me against his chest as my knees gave way. "You okay?" he asked.

A blush spread across my cheeks at his touch and I nodded quickly, putting distance between our bodies. "Yes, I just need to sit down." I murmured my eyes on the dog tags around his neck rather than his face, scared that I'd see the pity I knew he must be feeling for me, or worse yet, scorn.

I moved fully out of his touch and slowly lowered myself to the ground. Feeling the grass rasp against my palms I turned them over and studied the slowly fading burns that were still on them.

Logan hunkered down beside me. "You gonna heal alright?" he asked.

I swallowed and closed my fingers over the wounds. "Yeah. Just a little burnt out but I will be fine after a good night's rest." I assured him.

"Logan."

At the sound of Jean's call, the feral mutant raised his eyes to her.

"Go." I told him knowing he was reluctant to leave my side because he thought I was still hurt. "I'll be fine."

He glanced over me once more, checking for any other wounds before he nodded stiffly and left me to wallow in my own self pity.

"Jen, you okay?" I looked up to see Rogue trying to hide how frightened she was by worrying about me.

I smiled at her. "Yes." I nodded before I held out a hand to her. "As long as you don't mind helping me up off this grass so that I can pretend to be alright like you're doing."

Rogue pulled me from the ground and into a hug. "If you hadn't fixed my belt I woulda been sucked outta that hole in the jet." She said. "So I just wanted to thank yah for that."

I smiled and hugged her back. "You're not as weak as you think you are, Marie." I told her. "Not even close."


	7. Chapter 7

A few hours later, as the younger mutants were setting up camp; Jean, Storm, Logan, Remy and I were in conference with Magneto and his loyal follower, Mystique.

"You know who attacked the mansion. Don't you?" I came right out and asked Magneto after we had all gathered around a camp fire a few yards out of hearing range of the camp.

The older man turned to me with an intrigued look on his face. "And how would you know that, my dear?" he asked me sounding like a nice old grandfather but I wasn't fooled.

Folding my arms across my chest I answered, "I read memories through touch and when you brushed past me just now, I saw that you knew who Stryker was." I told him hating the way his condescending gaze turned considering as if he was wondering what he could use someone with my powers for.

As though he did it unconsciously, Logan stepped closer to me, standing protectively as he glared at both Magneto and Mystique.

Magneto just smiled serenely before he answered my question. "His name is Colonel William Stryker. He invaded your mansion for one purpose, he wanted Cerebro. Or enough of it to make one for himself."

Jean shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense; Stryker would need the Professor to operate it."

Magneto smiled before turning deadly serious. "Which I think is the only reason my friend is still alive."

"Oh my god." Storm gasped.

Seeing the look going between her and Jean, Logan's eyebrows pulled together. "Hang on; what are all of you so worried about?"

Taking it upon himself to answer, Magneto looked to him. "Once Cerebro is working, Charles' mind is connected to every living person on the planet. If he were forced to concentrate hard enough on a particular group; let's say…mutants for example. He could kill us all."

I jumped as Remy suddenly swore viciously in French and ran a hand through his long hair.

"My thoughts exactly." Magneto said dryly.

"Wait a minute," Storm spoke up suddenly glaring suspiciously at Magneto, "How would Stryker even know where to find Cerebro in the first place?"

Magneto turned his gaze to the campfire in the middle of our group, his face becoming sad, "Because I told him. I helped Charles build it, remember."

I started to move restlessly from foot to foot as Magneto continued.

"Mr Stryker has powerful methods of persuasion, even against a mutant as strong as Charles."

After a few moments of shocked silence, Jean spoke up, "So who is this Stryker, anyway?"

"He's a military scientist. He's spent his whole life trying to solve the 'mutant problem'," Magneto explained. "If you want a more intimate perspective, why don't you ask Wolverine?" I saw Logan tense as he glanced at Jean and then turned back to Magneto. "You don't remember, do you?" the older mutant asked, "William Stryker – the only other man I know that can manipulate adamantium. The metal on your bones, it carries his signature."

A flicker of a memory flashed through my mind and I stepped back catching Remy's arm feeling suddenly unbalanced. I flinched when the echo of Logan's pain from that memory burnt through my body and had to bite back a groan. Breathing hard I bit my lip and looked up, my gaze colliding with Logan's hazel eyes. Looking away quickly I turned my attention back to the group to see Mystique, the blue skinned woman who was Magneto's companion, watching me emotionlessly.

"But the professor…" Logan started looking to Magneto again as I waved off Remy's worried look.

"The professor trusted that you were smart enough to discover it on your own," Magneto smirked, "He gives you more credit than I do."

Storm spoke up obviously wanting to get to the reasons behind Magneto's offer of help, "Why do you need us?"

"Mystique has discovered a plan for a base that Stryker has been operating out of for decades. We know that's where he's building the second Cerebro, but we don't know where this base is. And I believe one of you might." His gaze swept over the five of us and I knew he was just toying with us. The others, however, obviously didn't sense that.

"The professor already tried," Logan said his voice wavering a little in anger.

Magneto's smirk turned self-satisfied, "Once again you think it's all about you." He then looked up and we followed his gaze to see Kurt hanging upside-down from a tree branch above us."

When Kurt had teleported down and Jean had moved to read his mind I turned from the group not needing to know where we were headed next. Making my way back to the jet I walked up the steps and into the interior. I moved toward the front of the jet and hunkered down to see six slim cuts in the floor of the plane where Logan had slammed his claws into the metal floor panels to keep us both against the floor of the freefalling jet. Taking a breath I carefully reached out a hand and brushed my fingertips against one set of holes. I gasped as pain, fear and anger raced through me, the remnants of Logan's echoes when he had saved me. A memory flared in my mind, his memory. I flinched away from it. It was his memory of my broken body a moment before he saved me. Dragging my hand from the floor and my mind from the echo I had absorbed I blinked back tears and stood up quickly, panic tight in my throat. What was I doing? He was in love with another woman and I was falling for him.

Clenching my jaw I turned to the damage still visible on the roof of the jet. Sitting cross-legged on the floor I closed my eyes and let my powers take over.

"Jenna, cheri," I jumped at the feel of a hand shaking my shoulder and looked up into Remy's red-rimmed irises.

Getting to my feet slowly I looked around, "How long have I been here?"

Remy still had that worried older brother look on his face but he folded his arms across his chest and glanced around the jet, "'Bout an hour, amore. Yah done fixin' this heap so yah can get some rest?"

I smiled at him and stepped up to him, stood on tip-toe and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "Just let me make sure I've fixed everything I can then I'll go and rest."

Giving me a measured look, the tall mutant paused for a moment before sighing, "Yah always twist Remy's arm, don' yah, petite cheri?"

I smiled and let him hug me before he turned and left the jet. It took me a few more minutes to check over the repairs I'd done and then I left the plane.

I had just stepped down onto the grass under the jet when the scent of cigar smoke wafted through the air. I turned to see Logan leaning against the landing gear a cigar between his lips. Dropping my eyes from his mouth I bit my bottom lip and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"I never thanked you properly for saving me before," I murmured knowing he would hear it even over the distance between us. I looked up at him then.

Taking the cigar from his mouth, the tall mutant walked to stand in front of me, "You shouldn't do crazy things like that, I might not be there ta save you next time, darlin'."

I swallow hard, the sound of that pet name coming from him setting my pulse racing even though I didn't want it to, "You okay?" I asked him.

He sighed, running a hand through his brown hair, "Yeah," he said a little too quickly.

"Logan-." I started but he suddenly reached out and wrapped his large hand around my wrist making my mouth go dry and snapping my gaze up to his.

"Why doesn't this work anymore?" He murmured almost to himself.

Shaking my head I tried to calm my pounding heart knowing he could probably feel my pulse thrumming wildly under his fingers, "I-I don't know," I answered truthfully.

His dark gaze lifted from his fingers to my face and I was torn between trying to pull away and trying to step closer. He made the choice for me and tugged me a step closer. We're standing so close our breath mingles in the small space between us.

"Logan…" I sighed, the stroke of his calloused thumb over my inner wrist sending heat rushing through me.

The crunch of stones and branches underfoot broke the pull between us and I stepped back as Logan dropped my wrist. A hot blush fills my cheeks when I see John standing wide-eyed a few feet away looking between Logan and I. Turning I rushed quickly to the tent I'm sharing with Storm and force myself to lie down and rest.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning as Storm and Jean piloted the jet toward Alkali Lake, Logan and I changed into our X-Men suits. Where his had yellow piping mine had aqua, almost an exact match to my eyes. Remy refused the spare suit that would contour to his specific body-type and instead made use of the fingerless gloves and boots that came with it before he zipped his blue X-men jacket up and made sure his pack of playing cards was stored in his pocket.

My suit was also a little different from the others. I wear fingerless gloves as well and the neckline of my jacket is cut with a zip that sits on an angle so that it can unzip and come away like a jacket with a grey tank-top underneath.

Rogue and Bobby were standing staring at the extra suit in its moveable storage case.

"Why don't we get uniforms?" Rogue asked Logan as he finished getting ready.

Bobby spoke up in agreement, "Yeah, where's ours?"

Logan answered them with his typical dry wit, "They're on order. Should arrive in a few years." He pushed the case back into the jet wall and then moved to take his seat opposite me near the front of the aircraft. "You gonna explain to me what's happening with you and your abilities?"

Logan didn't look at me so it took me a moment to realise he was asking me that question. I looked down at my hands as I answered, "I don't know. Truly, Logan, this has never happened before. Even with those that I have contact with daily I still get echoes from them every time I touch them. But with you it's like you're immune or something. Maybe it has to do with your ability to heal?"

He turned his hazel eyes onto me and I looked up at him. There was something there in his eyes that I couldn't quite understand and I wasn't sure I wanted to. He scared me and drew me in at the same time and I had made up my mind the night before that after we got the professor and the students back to the Institute I'd say my goodbyes and leave, taking with me the danger of Dr. Mortimer or any of my other enemies finding me there.

Storm landed the jet a few hundred yards away from the Alkali Lake dam and then we made our game plan. Mystique would go into the spillway looking like Logan and draw Stryker out. Once she got inside she would open the spillway doors into the base and let the rest of us in.

This part of the strategy went exactly according to plan. We got in and Magneto opened the metal doors to the operations room. Magneto and Mystique started talking with Jean about getting to the Professor while Remy, Kurt and Storm decided to go after the children Stryker had captured. I stood near the back of the group trying to control my breathing when I saw on the video monitors that Stryker had the children in cement rooms with electro-charged walls to prevent them from trying to climb out of the vent that was no doubt in the ceiling of the rooms. I had been the subject Dr. Mortimer tested those walls on when I was first taken by him and his people over thirty years before.

Movement out of the corner of my eye had me turn to see Logan walk soundlessly out of the room unnoticed by everyone except me. Sighing I followed him and caught up to him further along the corridor.

He grabbed me the moment we were around the corner and pushed me against the cement wall, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Jenna?" he growled looming over me, his hands tight around my upper arms.

"I'm making sure you don't get yourself killed," I told him as calmly as I could.

His nostrils flared and his hot breath brushed over my lips before he muttered a curse and then moved forward, pressing his mouth to mine. I froze in shock for a moment and that's all it took for him to pull away.

"No," I gasped grabbing the collar of his suit and pulling him to me, my lips finding his in a fiery kiss I felt to the tips of my toes.

He roughly drags my body against his and deepened the kiss, running his tongue along the seam of my lips until I let him in and then I'm drowning in the taste and feel of him, his arms around me, his leather-gloved hand twisted into my dark hair possessively.

He's the one that broke our kiss and pulled away so that only our foreheads were touching. I opened my eyes to find that he's watching me, both our chests rising and falling rapidly. I swallowed hard and looked away but he tugged one of his gloves off with his teeth and laid his calloused palm against the side of my neck.

"That wasn't about finding out if your powers still work on me, girl." He murmured gruffly.

Biting my bottom lip I looked back into his eyes, "Promise?" I asked weakly needing there to be something more between us than just him wanting his memories back.

"Swear, darlin'." He rumbled and then does something that I hoped he'd keep doing, he lowered his head and kissed me softly, the touch so gentle that I almost wondered if this was the same man who had stabbed a soldier through the chest in the kitchen of the Institute barely two days before. I smiled up at him when he pulled away fully.

Logan brushed his hand over my cheek and then tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, a silent promise to continue whatever it is between us later.

We continued on our way through the maze of cement corridors until there was a sudden rumble that moved through the structure around us. Logan tensed and caught my arm ready to pull me behind him if necessary but then the noise fell away and we were left in silence once more. He looked around and I knew he's trying to sense if there's anything to protect me from but then he seemed to relax minutely and turned to a doorway just behind us. I followed him through it and then down a flight of stairs into a large room. A tank of water big enough for a person to lay down inside stood in the middle of the room, a vat of liquid metal bubbling at the opposite end and a back-lit glass wall with x-rays clipped to it took up the wall across from the stairs. The other two walls had glass cases along them with an assortment of bottles and other items that turned my stomach to look at them.

I suddenly knew where we were, and it seemed so did Logan. He flinched at a memory and I stepped toward him only to have him move toward the molten metal filled vat and then touch the side of the concrete tank where three long scratches were cut into the side. I moved to him and slipped my hand over his at the devastated look on his face.

"Show me," I murmured bringing his eyes to mine.

There was a crease between his eyebrows that I wanted to press away with my fingertips and a sad fear in his eyes that made my chest ache, "You don't need to see it," he muttered his eyes taking on a faraway look.

"No, I don't," I shook my head as he focussed on me once more, "But you need me to see this because you can't keep this to yourself. No one should have to carry something like this, not even you."

His jaw clenched but he nodded and I reached up to touch my fingers to his temple. This time I'm not accidently ripping memories from his mind, this time he's sharing them with me and they flowed into my head as he sees them in his own. He's lying on the metal grating suspended over the water of the tank, lines and entry points marked into his skin, then he's in the water and there are waves of fiery pain moving in agonizing slowness over his bones, he then bursts up out of the water with a yell, and then he's running through the maze of corridors in this place, his bones still burning and aching, finally he stops and he sees that he's covered in someone else's blood, he screams in pain, anger and fear and I'm drawn out of the memory by Logan's groan.

"I'm sorry," I gasped pulling my touch from his skin as he shook his head.

Breathing a little harder than before he looked down at me, "Didn't want you to see that last bit, darlin', that's all."

Biting my lip I shook my head and cradled his face between my hands, my power no longer working because he wasn't letting me see into his mind again, "That doesn't matter, none of it matters," I whispered earnestly looking him right in the eye as he got his breathing under control again.

We were startled as Stryker's voice came from the other side of the room at the steps we had just walked down, "The tricky thing about adamantium is, if you ever manage to process its raw, liquid form, you gotta keep it that way. Keep it hot. Because once the metal cools, it's indestructible."

Logan stepped forward, pulling me behind him as he did and stared down Stryker and the Asian woman following him.

"But you already know that," Stryker drawled stopping at the doorway to the next room to smile at both Logan and I, "I used to think you were one of a kind, Wolverine." He glanced at the Asian woman, "I was wrong."

I saw Logan tense as he looked at the woman but Stryker's next words pulled my gaze to him.

"Oh, and Genesis, Dr. Mortimer sent someone here to see you."

The breath left my lungs as a tall blonde man stepped out of the shadows behind Stryker and walked into the room.

"Hello Genesis," he grinned.

"Ragnar," I breathe my body going cold and my heart starting to pound.

Logan looked between us and took a step toward the taller man. Ragnar smirked and before I could do anything he had thrown a bolt of electricity into Logan's chest, flinging Logan across the room and into a glass case.

"No!" I screamed before I turned a deadly glare onto Ragnar's face.

His grin widened, "Come play, Genesis."

I pushed down my fear and turned my eyes on the Asian woman who stood beside Ragnar and she cried out as her skin melted from her face. But my powers shut down as electricity slammed into my chest. I screamed, my back arching as wave after wave of agony ripped through me only to stop when Ragnar closed his hand around my arm and threw me bodily into the room where Stryker had disappeared.

I was faintly aware of Logan fighting the woman but Ragnar's hand twisted viciously into my hair and he dragged me to my feet, slamming me back against the wall beside the doorway. "Scream for me," he whispered in my ear and then placed his hand against my neck.

I shrieked as his electric current raced through my body. And then it stopped and he grinned down at me.

"Didn't you miss this, beautiful?"

"Bastard!" I managed to gasp out before he shocked me again.

It was just enough to make me cry out and then it stopped, "That's not very nice, Genesis," he whispered, leaning into my body and drawing his lips across my jaw. When he tried to kiss me I jerked away and tried to punch him to get him away long enough to use my powers. He tut-tutted as if I was a naughty child and then shocked me again, and again, and again. Tears slid down my cheeks and I couldn't bite back my cries with every volt he forced through my body.

"Good girl," he grinned and I wondered suddenly if I would die here. "Let's try something different," he murmured into my hair enjoying my pain.

He stopped for a moment and I sagged against the wall sobbing for breath, "Logan," I gasped out softly, calling for the only person I wanted.

Ragnar glared, his face twisted with cruel anger, "You're mine!" he yelled down at me before he ripped my leather jacket open and grabbed me around the throat before he forced his other hand under my tank-top and spread his fingers across my stomach. I knew what was coming and grabbed his wrist to stop him but I was too late. Electricity burst through my body and I screamed, my back bowed and my head thrown back. Not only was Ragnar burning me from the inside out, he was also choking me.

"Logan!" I screamed his name for what I thought was the last time and the blonde torturing me pumped more electricity into my battered body.

I smelt my flesh burning where his hands touched me and sobbed knowing when I woke up again I would be in Dr. Mortimer's cells once more, never to see the light of day if he had his way and visited constantly by Ragnar to endure more torture.

Taking his hand from my throat, Ragnar grabbed a handful of my hair and forced me to look at him through slowly fading vision, "He's dead. No one will miss you when I take you back to the Doctor."

I screamed as he forced even more electricity into my body through the hand he had on my stomach. And then, through bleary eyes is saw the tips of three adamantium claws grow out of the left side of his chest.

Ragnar was dragged back from me with Logan's arm around his throat as the feral mutant twisted his claws deeper into his back, "Time's up, bub," Logan growled into Ragnar's ear as the light faded from the other mutant's eyes. And then he dropped his corpse to the ground, his claws sliding back into his forearms as my legs gave way and I collapsed.

He was at my side a moment later and I moaned when his hand touched my side, his thumb pressing into the edge of the burn mark on my stomach.

Carefully pulling my top up to just under my bra Logan's jaw clenched, "God," he growled his eyes lifting to mine, "Why isn't it healing?"

I laughed even as I cried, "I'm tired, Logan. Weak."

"Hey, hey," Logan got my attention calming me as I started to panic, "We're gonna get out of here, you hear me?"

Panting slightly I nodded.

"I'm gonna get you on your feet, okay?" he told me his voice pitched low to try and keep me calm.

I nodded and slowly put my arms around his neck. He tried not to hurt me but we both knew that moving me would be painful.

"Okay, on three," Logan said. At my nod he started counting, "One…two…"

He didn't get any further because suddenly pain exploded in my head. We both collapsed and I knew Logan was feeling the same pain I was. We were too late; Cerebro and Xavier were killing us.

Screaming I curled against Logan's side, my forehead against his ribs. The pain got worse and my strained voice gave out. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, the pain stopped.

We both relaxed for a moment and then Logan stood up, helping me to my feet as he did. He then swung me up into his arms. Not in a position to argue and weaker than I'd felt in years, I pressed my face to his neck as he carried me from the room following the path Stryker had taken.

Once out in the snow, Logan made his way to a helipad a few yards away over a small rise, following Stryker's scent and no doubt his own instincts. In sight of the helicopter, Logan put me down on my feet in the snow so that I could hold myself up against a tree. He then stalked over to where Stryker was unchaining his helicopter from the ground. I saw him punch the older man in the face and then drag him against the nose of the helicopter. Stryker screamed when Logan stabbed him through the arm and then questioned him. I knew something was wrong the moment a loud siren started echoing through the valley coming from the dam. Logan glanced over in the dam's direction before dropping his eyes to me. He then spoke to Stryker before pushing him down into the snow and chaining him to the helicopter's front landing gear.

As he strode over to me, I nodded, "I can run, go ahead and make sure the others know that something's wrong."

"Come on," Logan shook his head stubbornly and moved to pick me up again.

I caught his hands and looked him in the eyes, "You need to get to them before something bad happens." Logan's jaw clenched angrily and he looked torn but I needed him to go and help the others so I reached out and ran my fingers over his cheek and through the hair on his jaw, "Go," I whispered softly.

The crease was back between his eyebrows and he leaned in, kissing me roughly before he pulled away and started at a jog back toward the underground tunnels that led to the dam.

Taking a steadying breath I pushed myself to my feet and turned to follow him, limping painfully back into the complex. I was a few yards into the tunnels when a door burst open and Remy slid to a stop on the wet concrete in front of me.

"Ah, Cheri. Yah're always givin' Remy a heart attack," the tall mutant grinned his red-rimmed irises shining in the artificial light of the fluorescents above us.

I smiled before breaking down and collapsing onto the ground sobbing. Remy gave me a worried look before he moved to kneel beside me.

"How did you find me?" I asked trying to stop my tears.

Remy grinned, "That man a yours told old Remy here ta come and get yah, make sure you're alright, Cheri. Told me exactly where yah were."

His admission made me want to cry all over again, Logan was making sure I was safe, "Where is he?"

Remy tucked a lock of my now mostly loose hair behind my ear, "He's gone ta get the others and bring them to the helicopter he says is out there."

I nodded before letting him help me to my feet, "I need you to help me cover this up. The children can't see me like this. They're scared enough as it is."

"Cover what up, amore?" Remy asked looking worried again.

I swallowed hard and turned my head to show him the burn still healing on my neck, and then lifted my top to show the larger one on my stomach.

"Cheri…" Remy started but trailed off before glaring, "Logan make Ragnar bleed?" he asked knowing who was the only person who could do this to me.

I nodded blinking back tears, "He killed him, Remy. I'm free of him."

The long haired Cajun nodded tightly before stepping forward and as gently as he could he helped me zip up my jacket hiding the evidence of my fight.

We then continued slowly toward the spillway entrance hoping to meet the others. It wasn't long until we did. Logan was leading them and they had all the missing children as well as Scott and the Professor. Magneto and Mystique weren't anywhere to be seen however.

"Go back, spillway's flooding," Logan growled catching my hand in his and leading us back the way we'd come.

He then let the children and the others go first out of the door that led to the helipad, letting go of my hand only to scoop up Artie, a mutant child with a lizard like tongue, who had fallen in the snow. We caught up with the group in time to see that the helicopter was no longer on the landing pad.

"The helicopter was right here!" Logan yelled over the wind.

I stooped down and scooped up some snow before looking at the others, "Mystique, Magneto and…John took it," I told them letting the snow slip through my fingers and land back on the ground near my feet. Feeling dizzy suddenly I grabbed Remy's arm before my legs gave out. He caught me around the waist and I bit back a scream of pain while he swung me up into his arms.

Logan glanced over at me, our eyes meeting as the group stood silent and scared.

Suddenly the faint growling of an engine sounded over the wind. We looked up to see the jet rise awkwardly above the tree line, glide sideways toward us and then fall to the snow and slide a few feet before stopping within walking distance. Everyone started toward it and I relied on Remy to get me there, my eye lids sliding shut with fatigue.

I was dimly aware of being warmer and turned my head when Remy put me down in a seat and helped me buckle in. "Logan?" I slurred half asleep already.

"He's here, Cheri. Rest now," Remy murmured softly but I shook my head.

"I-I need you to clean these burns," I murmured leaning my head back against the seat; it was too heavy to hold up otherwise, "It'll help me heal faster."

"Course, Amore," Remy murmured finding the emergency first aid kit that was kept at the back of the jet near the x-men suits. He came back with antiseptic solution and gauze. There was a commotion in the cockpit but I didn't think on it as the Cajun kneeling in front of me unzipped my jacket and pushed it away from my neck before starting the painful process of cleaning the deep burn there.

And then all hell broke loose. Jean left the jet and used her powers to control it as well as hold back the water from the burst dam.

Feeling her in my head I let her speak through me as Scott panicked and tried to get out to her. I pushed Remy's hands from my wounds and stood, my eyes on Scott and Jean's words slipping from my lips.

"I know what I'm doing. This is the only way."

Scott rushed to stand in front of me, his hands on my shoulders, "Jean…listen to me. Don't do this," his voice broke and a tear slid down my cheek.

"Goodbye." Jean whispered through me.

And then she let me go and I was falling and everything went black.


	9. Chapter 9

I woke up in the infirmary a week later. Remy was sitting on a metal stool beside my bed.

"Ah, Cheri, thought I told yah not ta make old Remy worry like that," he said with an ecstatic smile.

I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position, "Sorry, sweetheart," I murmured my head still fuzzy and my voice rough from giving out.

"Your man's been here all day every day. I had ta send him for some sleep in a real bed a few hours ago. He should be back ta kick Remy out soon, mon cheri." Remy added as I leant forward and smiled at him.

"He's not my man, Remy," I sighed and lifted the black tank-top I was wearing to see a white bandage covering my stomach. "I still haven't healed?"

He shook his head, "Storm just wanted ta make sure it didn't get infected. I'll get her ta come down and see ta that later but you need ta rest, amore."

I smiled at him, "By the looks of it so do you."

He waved me off.

"What happened to Jean?" I asked softly the smile dropping from my face.

Remy became sombre, "She sacrificed herself for us, Jenna."

I looked away hating myself for not being able to do anything. If I hadn't been so weak I could have got the jet off the ground without any loss of life. Then I saw Remy's face, "What? What else happened?"

He ran a hand through his long hair and then looked me in the eyes, "You were dead for two hours. I think it nearly killed your man ta see you like that, petite."

Tears filled my eyes because I saw the truth in his eyes; he had been just as heartbroken as Logan, "I'm sorry, Remy, truly I am."

He smiled, "Yah're safe now. That's all that matters, amore."

I nodded, "Yeah, it is." Taking a breath I pushed back the blanket that covered me to the waist. Grimacing at the small black shorts that were the schools' choice in infirmary wear, I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"'Nd where do yah think you're goin', amore?" Remy asked me, a hand on my shoulder to prevent me from hopping down off the bed.

I looked at him incredulously, "I'm fine now so I'm going to find Storm to get these bandages off and then I'm going to go and sleep in my own bed for a few hours before I grab my things and leave."

"What yah mean 'leave'?" Remy glared, his hand tightening on my shoulder.

"I mean exactly what I said. Mortimer knows I'm here now so I'm going to lead him away and keep everyone here safe. If he knows I'm not here anymore he won't come here."

"What if he doesn't care if you're not here anymore?" Logan's voice from the doorway drew my gaze and I felt an overwhelming need to run into his arms and hold on to him for dear life.

"He only wants me so-."

Logan cut me off with a sharp look, "So you'll sacrifice yourself? Is that what you're doin'?"

Remy stood silently and left the room as Logan stalked toward me, "It's the only way to keep everyone safe," I lifted my chin defiantly.

His eyes, dark with anger, narrowed dangerously, "Too bad. You're not goin'."

For a few moments I was dumbstruck then my natural stubborn nature kicked in and I stood from the edge of the bed, glaring the large furious mutant in front of me down, "You have no say in what I should or shouldn't do, Logan, so don't even pretend-." Once more Logan cut me off, but this time he did it with his lips, not his words.

I moaned when he slanted his mouth over mine and pulled me even harder against his chest. Hitching my knee up over his hip, Logan lifted me up and sat me on the edge of the bed once more so that both his hands were free to roam my body.

He pulled away suddenly and I whimpered. With our foreheads pressed together he breathed in deeply through his nose, "You leave and we can't keep doin' this."

I swallowed hard, "If I don't go and you get killed then we won't be doing this."

There was silence between us for what felt like hours before he spoke again, "Stay."

That single word was said with such longing that I felt tears well in my eyes, "Logan…" I couldn't finish.

"I need yah to stay, darlin'." He pulled back and looked me right in the eyes when he said it and brushed away the single tear that slid down my cheek with his knuckle.

Dropping my gaze to my hands as they curled in his frankly ugly khaki green paisley button down, I fought more tears, "And if you, or God forbid the children, get hurt or killed because of me, what then?"

With a deep sigh, Logan caught my chin between his thumb and crooked forefinger, the calloused digits brushing over my skin and causing goose-bumps to slide down my spine. No man had ever touched me like he did or was able to stoke such a response from my body. "Trust me to look after you."

His words rocked me to the core and I bit my bottom lip.

His eyebrows drew together putting deep grooves into the skin between his dark eyebrows, "Do you know what you do to me when you bite your lip like that?"

Surprised by the heat and gravel in his voice I lifted my eyes to his once more, "N-no," I whispered a fine trembling beginning in my hands where the heat of his body pulsed through his shirt and spreading like liquid fire through my body.

"Stay," he growled again and then stooped the small distance between us to capture my mouth with his once more.

A small animalistic growl slipped from me as his talented tongue dominated my mouth and his large hands brushed heavily over my thigh and side.

Our passionate embrace was interrupted by someone clearing their throat in the doorway. Logan's body tensed and he turned a dark glare onto the two figures standing just inside the room. Professor Xavier smiled placidly at the two of us while Storm hid a grin behind her hand. The feral mutant then stepped back and turned so that he was leaning against the edge of the bed, one hand hooked on his belt and the other resting casually on my knee.

"It's good to see that you're doing so well, Jenna," Xavier nodded, his blue eyes glimmering with mirth. "I trust Storm is able to take those bandages off now?"

Mastering her laughter, Storm moved forward to do just that at my red-faced nod. Mortified at having been caught in such a compromising position, I kept my head down as Storm quickly and efficiently took the bandage from my neck. She paused only to smirk suddenly at Logan before she pulled my camisole up to just below the underwire of the built in bra and proceeded to loosen and then remove the bandage on my stomach.

Seeing Logan's eyes drop to the smooth expanse of my stomach I blushed even more and pulled the soft material of the top back down as soon as possible.

"Well," Xavier nodded, "Now that you're healed and cleaned up, the question is what do you want to do now?"

I bit my lip once more before quickly stopping the action when Logan's hand tightened slightly on my thigh sending heat coursing through my body. Clamping down on any stray thoughts I turned my eyes onto the man sitting in the wheel chair before me. There was a tense silence in the room that broke suddenly when I answered, "I-I would like to stay and teach, if you'll have me, Professor."

The small tightening of Logan's body as he waited for me to answer was suddenly gone and a small tilt turned up one corner of his lips.

Xavier smiled in what I realised was a very paternal way as he nodded, "You are more than welcome, Jenna."

A sudden grin curved my lips and I got up and crossed the space between us to hug him, "Thank you," I whispered in his ear.

He smiled and nodded when I stepped back. _I'll let the two of you talk_. His voice said in my head before he nodded to Logan and led a still grinning Storm from the room.

I raised my gaze to meet Logan's dark hazel stare. "What do you want, darlin'?" he asked me.

Taking a breath I moved to stand in front of him where he was still leaning against the infirmary bed. I steeled myself and kept my gaze locked with his, "I want you."

A slow grin lit up his face, "Good enough for me."


End file.
